


The Illusion

by Mikotyzini



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, F/F, White Rose Week 2020 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24652369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikotyzini/pseuds/Mikotyzini
Summary: After spending years with The Illusion, Ruby had hoped to find her special talent and have an act of her own.  Instead, she was...normal, unlike everyone else in her family.  That all changes when a chance encounter leads her on a journey of love and self-discovery that proves she's far more blessed than she ever knew.White Rose Week 2020
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 58
Kudos: 302





	1. Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! A couple years ago, I swore I wouldn't write one story for White Rose Week again. A few months ago, I decided that me from a few years ago didn't know what she was talking about. So...here we go. Another story for White Rose Week.
> 
> The prompts I used are in the chapter titles. I hope you enjoy!

“Hey, good evening!” Ruby said for about the hundredth time in the past thirty minutes.“Welcome!” she added with a nod and small wave to the middle-aged man leading his three young children past.“Please find a seat inside and enjoy the show!” 

As he said something to his kids, whose eyes and expressions shone with excitement, Ruby turned around and smiled when she found another family approaching her.The mother and father gently prodded their two young sons forward, and the youngest one - who also appeared to be the shiest of the group - hesitantly stepped up and extended their admission tickets to her.

“Hey there!”With a reassuring smile reserved for the smallest or most timid guests, Ruby knelt down and took the tickets from his hand.“Are you excited to see some magic?”

When she reached out and pulled a coin from behind his ear, his eyes went wide with both fascination and surprise. 

“I want to see some _real_ magic!” his older brother butted in - a somewhat typical response from anyone old enough to tell the difference between a magic _trick_ and pure magic. 

Ruby didn’t let the words phase her, however.Instead, she lowered her voice, leaned closer to the two young boys, and whispered, “The _real_ magic only happens inside the tent.”

As expected, both of them stared at the massive red tent towering just behind her - an awe-inspiring sight that, from its location perched atop a large, grassy knoll, could be seen from the outer edges of the city. 

Based on their responses, Ruby knew that they’d never been here before.They might have heard stories, or rumors, or maybe even seen a photo or two, but they had no idea what type of magic was in store for them tonight.

“As soon as you walk inside,” she added after glancing behind them to make sure there was no one waiting in line.“You’ll feel it...like static in the air, or a tingle on your skin.Maybe it will awaken the magic in you too?” 

When she nodded to them, they shared a glance before grabbing their parents by the arm and dragging them towards the tent in front of them.Ruby, meanwhile, stood up and shook her head when she caught the look Jaune sent her way.

“I still think it’s cool,” he said while whipping a bouquet of fake flowers from his sleeve.“It’s old school, right?” 

“Apparently, the kids don’t agree with us,” Ruby replied with a shake of her head.

“Pyrrha thinks it’s cool though.”When Jaune gave the flowers a cheesy grin before stuffing them back into place, likely to be presented to the aforementioned redhead later, Ruby smiled and looked out over the grassy field they’d called ‘home’ for the past couple of weeks.

Most of tonight’s spectators had already arrived, leaving the field relatively empty and quiet compared to the drone of voices from behind them.The parking lot in the near distance was packed with vehicles - a good sign for an event that thrived on the number of guests crammed into the tent.

“Looks like a full house,” she remarked, prompting Jaune to turn towards the towering tent behind them.

“You wanna head in?” he asked with a nod that way.“I can take over from here.” 

“You mean do I want to keep working while you sit here waiting for one more person to show up?” 

“It’s still working!” he argued, but she playfully rolled her eyes and dropped her stack of tickets in his hands. 

“I guess one of us should be useful.” 

“That’s the spirit!” he called after her as she hurried up the path some hundreds of people walked just moments earlier.

Rather than head right into the tent, however, she veered left and made her way to one of the secondary entrances used exclusively by the entertainers.After ducking through a cleverly-concealed slit in the red fabric, she passed and soaked up the chaotic energy inside.

The show was about to start, which meant turmoil had descended upon the cast and crew of this traveling event.Some called it a circus, but they didn’t - a circus was for animals.This was something bigger - something better.Something no one had ever seen before. 

Unless that someone had visited them on one of their many stops around the globe.From Mistral to Vacuo to here in Atlas, they welcomed crowds of people lining up to witness an evening of magic. _Real_ magic as the kids loved to say, and their parents loved to whisper in awe.

The Illusion - an event like no other.It followed no schedule and no pattern, popping up overnight at any random location near some unsuspecting city around the globe.It stayed for several days, or several weeks, before disappearing just as quickly as it appeared.It was equal parts myth and fantasy, depending on whether the storyteller had made it into the fabled red tent or not.

To Ruby, however, this was more than just a magic show.The Illusion was her life, and it had been ever since she was a child.The people working here were her family.And she, like most of the other members of the crew, found great joy in sharing their gifts with the world.

One day, she hoped to be one of the events featured on the flyers distributed across the city.People would come from all over to watch her work her magic - and by that, she didn’t mean the many sleight-of-hand tricks she’d perfected over the years.Maybe she could pick up vehicles ten times her size.Maybe she could fly through the air like a bird.Maybe she could grow over a hundred feet tall on demand.

Until then, she would do what she did best - help the stars who made The Illusion shine.

“Need anything?” she asked the first person she passed.As soon as they shook their head, she carried on.“Need anything?” she asked Pyrrha next, who shook her head but motioned towards the front of the tent.

“Is Jaune still out front?”

“Yes, but I’m sure he’ll come in and watch your act,” Ruby assured the girl before turning around when applause broke out in the main arena.

Out on stage, Nora spoke to the crowd, getting everyone excited and ready for the first act.In the back of the tent, that round of applause meant it was time - the show was about to begin.For anyone who wasn’t already prepared, that meant only a few minutes left to finish makeup, change into costume, or collect whatever props were needed.

“I should see if anyone else needs help,” Ruby told Pyrrha, who gave her a kind smile before she hurried away.

Behind the scenes of The Illusion was probably a maze to those who didn’t know where they were going.Between getting lost in stacks equipment and dodging around performers warming up for their acts - which sometimes entailed ducking or narrowly avoiding potentially-deadly hazards - working here wasn’t for the faint of heart. 

Fortunately, she had enough experience to know where to step or when running might be a good idea.And, through her experience as a jack-of-all-trades fixer, she also knew where the likely problem spots might be.

“Ren,” she called out to the young man stationed at the massive control panel for the technology in the main tent.“How’re we looking?”

“Those speakers still aren’t working,” he replied with a tap on that side of the panel. 

“Anything we can do now?”

“Unless you can make it up there and back between acts?”When he glanced over at her, she wrinkled her nose and shook her head.“I turned them off for now,” he added.“I think that’ll be fine.We’ll just have to fix them again later.”

While Ruby hated when something broke that she couldn’t fix, she trusted that Ren had done the best he could do.Those damn speakers though...they took turns malfunctioning just to make her job harder - she was sure of it.

“Let me know if I can fix anything else?” she added, only for both of them to pause when shrieks and gasps of surprise were heard from the arena beside them. 

“Sounds like Neon went for ‘shocking’ tonight,” Ren mumbled before returning to his task of monitoring the lights and sounds of the show.Sensing that she wasn’t needed here at the moment, Ruby slipped out of the room and headed back the way she just came.

Seeing as how this wasn’t their first day in Atlas, or even their first week, the performance seemed to be running smoothly.While there were still last-second fires to put out every once in a while, everything was far more organized than the first couple of days in a new city.She liked that there weren’t too many messes to attend to but, at the same time, felt almost restless as she walked past so many people who didn’t need anything right now.

She liked helping others, but there was more to it than that.She wanted to feel like her presence here _mattered_ , that The Illusion needed her like she needed it.This was her job, her family, her purpose.Yet, while she made her way through the various performers and other crew members, it didn’t feel like she mattered much at all.

Maybe it was just jealousy, she told herself while ducking into an empty room filled with prop weapons.‘Prop’ might be a bit of a misnomer considering they were all very real and very dangerous, but Penny always said she preferred working with the real deals.

When Ruby picked up one of the swords and felt the weight of it in her hand, she could hardly even imagine doing what Penny did with these.Of course, with her lack of any particular talent, she could hardly imagine doing what _any_ of the performers did.They were the stars of The Illusion.They were _gifted_. 

And who was she?She helped them find their missing items or fixed the many tech-related issues they had.Other than that, she didn’t have any type of ability yet, but she still hoped that one day hers would appear.If it did - if she had that spark of magic in her - she could one day have her own act.If she had her own act, she could contribute to the show in a bigger way than ever before.

After carefully swinging the sword around in one hand, she jabbed it towards the wall and withdrew it just as quickly.While muffled applause rose and fell in the distance, signifying the beginnings and ends of The Illusion’s many great acts, she cleared her mind and pretended that applause was for her. 

Maybe she was a knight.Maybe she could stave off hundreds of enemies in a fight.

Maybe she was a warrior.Maybe she was a queen.Maybe she could do things only before seen in dreams.

“Ruby?”

As soon as she heard her name, the fantasy disappeared, and she rushed to put the sword back on the shelf.

“Yeah?” she called out, only for her sister to poke her head through the doorway a second later.

“There you are,” Yang said while walking into the room. 

With Yang’s long blonde hair, purple eyes, and athletic build, more than a few people asked them if they were actually related.Sometimes, they responded to those questions by making jokes about how they had different moms.Sometimes, Yang took offense to the insinuation that they had to look alike to be sisters.

Even Ruby would admit that they looked nothing alike, but that didn’t make Yang any less of her sister - and one of the most important people in her life.

“What’re you up to?” Yang asked with a glance around the room.

“Just making sure Penny’s stuff is in order.” 

Even though that was a plausible excuse, and would have worked on anyone else, Yang was too smart to fall for it.

“But Penny already has what she needs for tonight,” Yang pointed out as she took a step closer and ducked her head to better meet Ruby’s gaze.“Be honest - you have a thing for swords, don’t you.”

The joke was intended to make Ruby laugh, and it did just that. 

“Would you disown me if I did?” she replied with a small smile that Yang returned in full.

“Hell no.I think that’d be pretty cool, actually.Plus, it’s not like we’re running low on weapons around here.”When Yang motioned around the room, Ruby looked around and felt a small smile flit onto her lips.

Unfortunately, that smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and Yang’s humor went right along with it.

“Hey.”As soon as Yang set a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, she sighed and felt her prior thoughts returned with a vengeance.“What’s up?”

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled, even though she knew she wasn’t getting out of explaining her problems now.“It’s just...I just wish I could do more.”All it took was one motion towards the main stage for Yang to understand what Ruby was talking about - the same problem that had bothered her for quite some time now.

“You already do so much to help,” Yang assured her, same as she always did.“And your time is coming, ok?”When Ruby shook her head and turned away, Yang tapped her other shoulder.“It is.You’re just a late bloomer, that’s all.” 

“ _Really_ late bloomer...” 

“Mom was too.” 

With another heavy sigh, Ruby finally met Yang’s gaze.As usual, her sister was right.She just wished it wasn’t such a good argument.

“Fine,” she finally conceded.“You’re right…”

“You know I’m right,” Yang replied with a happy laugh.When several puffs of flame slipped out at the same time though, she covered her mouth and laughed harder.“Sorry,” she got out through her chuckles, but her happiness - and the absurd look of flames slipping between her fingers - made Ruby laugh too.

“What’re you two on about?” 

When someone suddenly appeared beside them, they both jumped in surprise.Ruby might have also yelped a bit, but that was better than Yang’s loud, “Jesus!Blake - holy hell...”

“Sorry.” 

If Blake was actually sorry for scaring the living daylights out of them, the smile pulling at her lips made it impossible to tell.In fact, if Ruby didn’t know any better, Blake probably considered it a fun game to try to make one of them scream.

Scream in surprise, at least.Although what she and Yang did in their free time was something Ruby wanted to know nothing about.

“I’m sure you are,” Yang replied with another laugh while wrapping an arm around Blake’s waist and tugging her close.With her dark outfit and even darker hair, she was just about the polar opposite of Yang, yet they also made the perfect pair. 

“How’d it go?” Yang added with a kiss on Blake’s cheek.

“About the same as usual.”Blake shrugged at the response, as if creating copies of herself was just another walk in the park.“You’re up soon though.”

“Already?”When Blake nodded, Yang patted Ruby’s shoulder and took a step towards the door.“Guess I’ll get ready then.”After pausing to give Blake another kiss - this one lasting long enough that Ruby averted her gaze - Yang rubbed her hands together and blew a breath of flame over them.“I’ll see you in a bit!” she threw over her shoulder while hurrying towards the entrance to the stage.

“I hope she doesn’t set something on fire again…” Blake mumbled as Yang left them in the prop room.

“Pretty sure that’s what everyone _wants_ to see,” Ruby pointed out, which Blake pondered for a few seconds before smiling.She had a nice smile, for those who were special enough to see it.Fortunately, Ruby’s status as Yang’s sister made her one of the privileged few who got to know Blake better than most.

Of course, that meant Blake also knew Ruby better than most - probably even more so since Yang wasn’t exactly known for talking too _little_.

“How’re you doing?” Blake asked while turning her attention to Ruby.As soon as intent amber eyes locked onto her, Ruby did her best not to let her emotions slip through.Because, along with being extremely talented, Blake had a knack for knowing Ruby’s thoughts without hearing a word.

“I’m looking forward to another great show,” she replied with a smile that wouldn’t have worked in any other situation.Right now, however, Blake grew distracted by the cheers welcoming Yang to the stage for what would definitely be quite a show.

“You can go watch, you know,” Ruby added when Blake’s eyes darted that way, knowing how much Blake loved watching Yang’s act.She said it was only because she liked watching the flames leap around the stage, but Ruby suspected it was simpler than that. 

Blake just loved Yang, period.

“Ok,” she acquiesced, proving Ruby’s theory at least partially correct.“See you later?” 

“Yeah!Of course.” 

Once Blake nodded and headed towards one of the side entrances to the stage, Ruby left the prop room and looked around for anyone who might need an extra pair of hands.But, as the show progressed, the atmosphere backstage settled into something much more mellow.Most of the stagehands had already completed their tasks, while others were already preparing for the night to end.The performers who’d already finished their acts headed back to their rooms or did what Blake was doing - watched the end of the show.

Considering the clean-up needed as soon as the show ended and the crowds departed, maybe she should watch for a little bit too before diving into those end-of-day tasks.If she hurried, she might catch the end of Yang’s act too before their headliner took the stage.

Her heart fluttered at the thought of catching the last act, but that feeling disappeared the instant she turned the corner and nearly ran headfirst into Emerald.

“Watch where you’re going,” Emerald snapped while Ruby narrowly avoided the collision. 

“Sorry...” she mumbled while keeping her head down and trying to slip away.Unfortunately, Emerald grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“What’re you doing out here?Aren’t you supposed to be cleaning?” 

“The show’s not even over yet,” Ruby pointed out while resisting the urge to pull her arm free.By now, she knew that she wasn’t strong enough to do that, and it would only make Emerald angry if she tried.“I’m just going to watch the end of the show,” she added as calmly as possible.“Then I’ll start cleanup.”

There was no rule that said she couldn’t go watch for a few minutes, and Emerald knew that.Unfortunately, Emerald usually didn’t care if there were or weren’t any rules in place.All she cared about was that she held far more power than Ruby, and she relished every opportunity to put Ruby in her place.

Thankfully, Mercury chose that moment to walk around the corner.His presence drew Emerald’s attention, and she finally released Ruby’s arm. 

“If you’re bored,” she added while giving Ruby a subtle shove.“I’ll come up with things for you to do.And you won’t like them.”When Emerald flashed a smile that _looked_ sweet and kind, Ruby heeded the unspoken warning and hurried away while rubbing the red marks off of her arm.

The people who brought The Illusion to life were her friends and family...mostly.Hidden amongst her favorite people in the world were a few she could do without - Emerald being one of them.She still remembered the day Emerald showed up with her friends requesting a job...she thought Emerald was friendly, and a potential friend who wasn’t one of the performers.

She couldn’t have been more wrong, but she knew better by now.Something sinister lurked underneath Emerald’s perfect smile, and that vicious side usually appeared when Ruby was around. 

Maybe Emerald hated her because she didn’t have a gift, which put her at the bottom of The Illusion’s unspoken hierarchy.Maybe Emerald hated that Ruby wasn’t at the complete bottom because Yang’s status granted her more freedom and respect than she ‘deserved.’Or maybe Emerald just didn’t like that people brought up Ruby’s parents, who were still well-known and well-respected from the days when they had acts of their own.

Whatever the reason, Emerald hated her and went out of the way to prove it.But, even though it bothered her, she wouldn’t dwell on it right now - not when her favorite part of the night was about to begin.

Making it to one of the tunnels leading into the arena, she hurried through and paused where the tunnel met the stairs leading into the stands.From there, the main stage lay just ahead of her - a large circular platform made up of several folding pieces she’d helped lay out days ago.The stage was ‘where the magic happened,’ as Yang often said with a wink, but it was the rest of the tent that held Ruby’s attention. 

The stands, which encircled the stage in every direction, were packed with people.That sight, along with how excited and happy everyone looked, warmed her heart.This was why The Illusion existed - to make people happy.To put on a show that people would talk about even after the tent moved on to the next city. 

Every act was worth the price of admission, but there was one performer guaranteed to leave an impression that lasted far beyond tonight.Her gift was one of the most incredible Ruby had ever experienced, and Ruby had experienced quite a few over the time of working here or watching her parents perform.

The crowd also seemed to sense that something spectacular was about to happen, as the anticipation in the room grew while the ashes and soot from Yang’s event were swept away.

Being slated as the second-to-last act was an accomplishment in itself, and a recognition Yang deserved for her ability to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats.The Illusion’s headlining act, however, was reserved for someone even more...magical. 

Once the stage was cleared and nothing but a microphone placed in the center of the tent, the lights lowered, and Ruby’s heart slowed when a hush fell over the crowd.That sense of expectation and anticipation rose even higher, and then The Illusion’s last - and best - performer stepped onto the stage.

“We have a real treat for you tonight,” Nora narrated in the meantime, keeping the words flowing as their last act was seconds from beginning.“Something you might have seen before, or heard before, but we guarantee you’ve never _felt_ this before.The Illusion presents...the one and only...Melody.”

Dressed in an elegant, white gown, white heels, and an icy-blue pendant necklace, Melody looked like she’d walked right off of a movie set.Her blonde hair made even Yang jealous, and her piercing blue eyes sometimes shimmered with different colors based on her mood.

She didn’t breathe fire like Yang or bend metal like Pyrrha.She...sang.While that might sound tame for a show featuring flames, swords, and death-defying stunts, she was no ordinary singer, and it felt like the audience already knew that.Or, at the very least, they _expected_ something extraordinary from her, as a deathly quiet fell over the room the moment she picked up the microphone and lifted it to her lips.

The first bars of music played over the speakers, and the room’s expectation only grew.Maybe some in the audience had heard her sing before.Maybe some had only heard stories.Whatever the cause, Ruby wasn’t the only one leaning forward waiting for that first note.

“Mirror…tell me something...” Melody began in her soft, angelic voice, but those few words alone sent a surge of melancholy racing through Ruby’s veins.The gasps from the crowd confirmed that she wasn’t the only one who felt it - the emotion so strong and sudden that its appearance couldn’t by chance.

This was Ruby’s favorite part of The Illusion.No matter how much Melody guarded her precious voice, no matter how much of a diva she was off stage, Ruby loved every note that passed through her lips. _Feeling_ each emotion threaded into her heart only to be swept away by the next one - by the next song, by the next line, by the next sequence of notes - made her feel _alive_ in a way she’d never experienced before Melody showed up.

The crowd also felt it, as their emotions showed on their faces for all to see.In a matter of just a few songs, and with only her voice, Melody would reduce them to tears of sadness only to wipe that emotion away and fill the tent with pure, unbridled joy like no other.They would leave The Illusion happy, and with their troubles forgotten for a short time - they just had to make it through the fall first.

With the first song only halfway over, Ruby felt someone walk into the tunnel and stand at the opposite side from her.So enraptured in Melody’s voice, she only managed a glance in that direction only to do a double-take at who she saw.

The girl standing beside Ruby right now was the prettiest in the world.She was like Melody’s voice, only in a physical, tangible version that made Ruby’s heart stutter in surprise. 

With long, white hair and clear blue eyes, she didn’t seem to notice Ruby’s look her way.Instead, she stood by the exit of the tunnel and watched Melody with emotions that ebbed and flowed just like everyone else.

Determined not to be caught staring, Ruby tried to focus on Melody but found that the song no longer held her attention.Instead, she stole glances out of the corner of her eye while the girl crept closer to the exit of the tunnel.

It didn’t look like she planned on finding a seat, probably because the show was nearly over.Or maybe because she realized that standing right here would offer the same experience as sitting anywhere else.Whatever the reason, Ruby stole another look and tried to think of a way to strike up a conversation.

Unfortunately, any thought of flirting disappeared when she caught sight of Cinder striding down the tunnel towards her.Just like that, her thoughts went from how to start a conversation to worrying about what she did wrong. 

“What are you doing here?” Cinder demanded as soon as she was close enough.“Start cleaning up.”

Even though Cinder used a low voice so as not to be overheard, the girl still glanced their way and briefly caught Ruby’s gaze.That short look was all it took for her to pull the hood of her cloak over her head and hurry towards the exit, leaving Ruby backing away from Cinder in hopes of making an escape.

“I’ll get right on that,” she added, and didn’t give Cinder the opportunity to respond before turning around and hurrying after the girl. 

With the head start, she’d already made it to the outer lobby of the tent and was quickly making her way outside.From there, she walked across the field towards the parking lot, leaving Ruby little choice but to do something quickly and make a spectacular fool out of herself in the process.

“Excuse me?” she called out while jogging to catch up, but the girl didn’t turn around or acknowledge Ruby’s words.Instead, she picked up her pace and hurried towards the parking lot, where a sleek black car waited for her. 

Ruby could catch up if she broke into a sprint, but clearly the girl didn’t want to talk.So, rather than follow her dubious instincts, she slowed to a stop and watched the girl pull something from her pocket while also opening the door of the vehicle.

It was at that moment that Ruby spotted a flash of something falling to the ground, but the girl didn’t notice it while getting into the car and closing the door behind her.

“Hey, wait!” Ruby called out while jogging over to whatever it was.She waved her hand towards the car, but it didn’t stop as it made its way out of the parking lot and back towards the city.

Left standing there, Ruby watched the car until it disappeared before blowing a breath through her lips and kneeling down to pick up what the girl just left behind.What she found was a compact silver case, which turned out to be a pocket mirror when she opened the clasp.

It was a nice one - way better than any of the cheap ones she’d seen before - and it had an inscription inside.

_‘To my dearest Weiss, who will one day move the world.Love, Nicklaus Schnee.’_

Snapping it shut, Ruby mindlessly walked back to the tent and tried to decide what to do next.Even though the girl was clearly in a hurry to leave, she couldn’t have meant to leave this behind.The mirror looked like a gift of some kind, and possibly an important one.

Ruby had to get it back to her somehow.

“Ruby.” 

Cringing at the voice, she caught one sight of Cinder’s glare before grabbing the first crate her hands landed on and racing to start the end-of-show cleanup.Returning the mirror would have to wait until her work was done, but she doubted that her thoughts would leave the girl in the meantime.

Weiss.Was her name Weiss?That was a pretty name, so it must belong to a pretty girl.But why had she come to The Illusion only to leave in such a hurry?

Maybe when Ruby returned the mirror, she could ask.


	2. Letters

Ruby intended to return the mirror in person - she really did! - but, as punishment for some wrongdoing she couldn’t remember committing, Cinder and Emerald jointly decided to bury her in work the morning following the show.They had her running around fixing things that hadn’t been broken or finding things that hadn’t been missing right up until The Illusion started again. 

Then, as soon as that show ended, they packed up and headed to Mistral - disappearing in the night like they always did.In the midst of all that commotion, she couldn’t find time to slip away and search for the girl with white hair and beautiful blue eyes.

But she _had_ returned the mirror.Just...not in person.

Right before they set off for Atlas, she put the mirror, along with a carefully written letter, in the hands of The Illusion’s resident messenger - a sweet boy by the name of Oscar.Most of The Illusion’s crew sent him to deliver or pick up mail, but his experience trekking through the various stops meant he’d grown quite adept at finding people, places, or things that might have been lost.In this case, he promised to deliver the mirror and the letter only to a girl named Weiss who fit the description Ruby provided.

That was good enough, right?The mirror was returned, Weiss was hopefully happy, and Ruby was...well, she was still replaying that night in her mind and imagining what might have happened if Cinder hadn’t shown up.What if she found the courage to strike up a conversation?Would Weiss be willing to talk?Or would she offer nothing more than a pleasantry before taking off like she had in actuality? 

Since this was Ruby’s imagination, she preferred to think that they would talk after the show was over.They could learn more about each other than just a name and a vague inscription.She could ask what brought Weiss to The Illusion, and what she thought of Melody’s voice.Did she enjoy the emotions Melody stirred up?Or did she find it disarming, like so many others did?

But that was part of why Ruby loved that act so much.The emotions she felt were so pure and uninhibited, as if all of her biases and clouded judgments had been stripped away.

“Ruby?Can you help me with this?”

Pulled out of her daydreaming, she rushed over and helped Penny unhook the stage from its tethered position inside one of the many trailers driven to Mistral.To keep the heavy metal pieces from moving during transit, multiple latches were used to strap everything in place.The only issue was that if Yatsuhashi latched everything down, it took two people to undo his work.Or one normal person and Penny.

“You got it?” she asked Penny while fitting her hands into the bottom of the latch and preparing to pull down as hard as she could.Once Penny nodded, the two of them pushed and pulled in unison, and the latch undid with a satisfying click.

“One down.”After giving Penny a high-five, Ruby moved over to the second strap and prepared to repeat the process.There were only ten straps total - five on either side of the truck - but by the end her arms would ache more than they already did.

Setting up The Illusion was the worst part of her job, by far.Not only was everything incredibly heavy, but they had to work through the night in order to get the tent up by daybreak.Since only one of them could see in the dark, the rest of them used a combination of headlamps and stage lights in hopes they didn’t lose any fingers.

Hearing nearby cheers, Ruby glanced out of the truck and smiled when she saw the tent lift off the ground and quickly fill the night sky.It wouldn’t be much longer before it was fully formed and ready for the fixtures to be taken inside.That meant the stage, the stands, the lights, and the _speakers_ \- those damn finicky things.She still needed to help Ren fix those…

“Are you almost done?”

Turning to the side, Ruby sighed in relief when Pyrrha walked up to the truck and gestured towards the stage.

“Just one more,” she replied before nodding for Penny to grab a hold of the last latch.With one more push and pull of effort, it fell free, and the pieces of the stage were ready for Pyrrha to move into the tent.

“You got it from here?” Ruby asked, hopping out of the truck and offering her hand to help Penny do the same.

“I do.Thank you.”

Knowing that Pyrrha was more than capable of handling the stage on her own, Ruby nodded and gave Penny a smile.“I’m going to help Ren with the speakers,” she added while pointing his way.“There’s still some kinks we have to work out.”

“Ok.Thank you, Ruby.”

Faced with Penny’s sincere gratitude, Ruby smiled and shook her head.“Don’t mention it!I’m here to help!”With a wave, she headed across the field towards Ren, who was looking at the collection of speakers and lights while Nora spoke nonstop from beside him.

“There you are.”

Halfway to Ren and Nora, Ruby was forced to stop when she heard the smooth, perpetually-smug voice directed her way.As soon as she spotted Cinder heading towards her, a wave of exhaustion washed over her, but she knew better than to show any weakness when Cinder was around.

“What’s up?” she asked instead, only to feel her spirits sink when Cinder dumped a stack of fliers into her hands.

“Get these put up,” was all Cinder said before walking away, leaving no opening for argument.

Not that Ruby would argue anyway, as one glance at the flier confirmed that Melody was the headlining act once again.Instead, she moved the stack of papers into the corner of her arm and hurried to find Yang. 

Fortunately, Yang was easy to find, as she was currently using her flames to cast an eerie form of light for Jaune to see by.

“Yang,” Ruby said once close enough, and motioned with the papers to show her sister what she had to do next.“I’m headed into town,” she added, only for Yang to frown.

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“Yeah, well...someone’s got to put these up.”

Ruby could take care of herself, but she knew that Yang still didn’t like it.It was that ‘protective older sister’ thing at its finest.

“I’ll go with you.”

“They need you to help,” Ruby quickly pointed out, knowing that Yang was one of the most helpful for setup.Yang knew that too, which was why her frown deepened.

“You heading into town?” Jaune asked then, and stood up with a smile.“Can I come with you?I want to scope out places to take Pyrrha.”

When Ruby gave Yang a look, Yang nodded, so she smiled at Jaune.

“Happy to have the company,” she added, and walked away from the tent with Jaune in tow.Apparently, she wasn’t going to sleep tonight, since putting these fliers up would take at least a few hours.

As much as she loved Melody’s voice, sometimes she wished The Illusion would stop choosing her as the headlining act.While it made sense, being the star of the show gave her pseudo-handler - Cinder - way too much power.

But The Illusion chose Melody.The rest of them might never know how or why that decision was made, but they knew better than to protest.Besides, who would they even protest to?

That was the thing about _real_ magic...it left far more questions than answers.

Ruby didn’t need answers right now.All she needed was old-fashioned hard work - and the patience to listen to Jaune gush about Pyrrha for hours - to complete yet another one of Cinder’s tasks.By the time they returned to the fairgrounds located on the outskirts of the city, the sun was rising, and that giant red tent stood out like a sore thumb.

“I still get goosebumps seeing it...” Jaune admitted as they returned to their semi-permanent homes and found everything quiet and still.Setup must be over for now, which meant everyone went back to their trailers to get some sleep before gearing up for the first show tonight.

After waving Jaune off and heading back to her tiny trailer - the other half of which she shared with their resident photographer - she hardly collapsed into bed and closed her eyes before someone knocked on her door.

From how bright it was and how groggy she felt, she must have been sleeping, but it didn’t feel like she had as she dragged herself to the door and pulled it open.As soon as she saw Oscar standing on the front step, however, she forgot that she was tired at all.

“Oh,” he said as soon as he saw her - and her bedraggled hair.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up -”

“Don’t worry about it.”She waved off the concern, and skipped all small talk to get to what she really wanted to know.

“Did you find her?”

“I did!And I have something for you!”When her brow rose at the response, he pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it over with a grin.“She has a really cute brother,” he added, which only doubled her surprise as she accepted the envelope with a stunned “Thank you.”

“No problem!”After hopping off the step, he patted his bag filled with other envelopes and packages to be delivered.“I’ll see you later though.Let me know if you need to send anything else!” 

While he ran off to finish his deliveries and pickups, she stared after him for a few seconds before looking at the envelope in her hands.As soon as she turned it over and saw the sender’s name written in the corner, her heart fluttered.

It couldn’t be.Could it?It couldn’t.

After a quick glance around, she retreated into her room and shut the door behind her.She hadn’t expected a reply.She _wished_ for one, and hoped for one, but she never expected that wish to come true.Yet here it was, in her hands, a response from the beautiful girl whose mirror she’d returned.Through Oscar, but still…

With her curiosity at an all-time high, she stood in the middle of her room and gently tore the envelope open - making sure to keep the front intact.She found a single sheet of paper inside, which she unfolded only for her heart to flutter again when she found the page half-filled with elegant cursive writing.

She should have expected such beautiful handwriting from someone so beautiful, but the fact that she had it right here, in her hands, still far beyond incredible - and that was before she began to read.

_Dear Ruby,_

_I can’t express how grateful I am that you found and returned my mirror.It was a gift from my grandfather, and I’ve always kept it nearby to remind me of him.Losing that memory would have been difficult to bear.So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for sending it back to me._

_I must apologize that I wasn’t able to stay longer so that you could return it in person, but I had forgotten a prior engagement I couldn’t be late for.That’s why I had to leave in such a hurry._

_If I understand correctly, you work for the event - The Illusion?Do you perform in one of the acts?_

_It must be incredible to travel so much.I’ve always wanted to see the world, and what better way than to do that while working?_

_I’m sorry - I shouldn’t ramble and take up even more of your time.Thank you again for your kindness.If you ever feel the need to write back, my address is the same._

_Sincerely,_

_Weiss Schnee_

“Weiss Schnee...” Ruby read aloud while lowering the letter to her side.Now she had a full name to go with a face.A pretty name for a pretty girl, who had pretty handwriting and used pretty words.

Should she respond?Weiss asked some questions, so she could.And she wanted to.If she wanted to, then shouldn’t she?Weiss didn’t have to write back again if she didn’t want to, but Ruby wasn’t about to leave those questions unanswered.

So she pulled out her desk chair, sat down, and found a pen and piece of paper to start a response.First, she explained the gist of her job and that she didn’t perform in the show - yet.While she didn’t dive too deeply into _why_ she didn’t perform, she did explain the pros of working and living this way.There were some cons too, which she added so that her letter wasn’t obviously biased.

By the time she took a break - because her hand was cramping, not because she’d run out of things to say - the page was filled...front and back.Writing more would probably look...overzealous...so she ended the letter with a few questions of her own before signing it and sticking it into a new envelope.She’d just sealed it when someone knocked on her door, making her jump and nearly give herself a papercut in the process.

“Ruby!” Yang called out with another knock.“Where the heck have you been?Show’s about to start!”

“Crap,” she muttered to herself while sticking the letter into her pocket and grabbing her keys.“Coming!” she called back before hurrying to put on her shoes.If she saw Oscar tonight, she’d give him the letter and wait to see what happened next.Maybe Weiss would respond, maybe she wouldn’t.But until then, Ruby had a job to do.

Multiple jobs, actually, but it kept her busy. 

A new city meant that most of the performers were trying out new acts, which in turn meant Ruby had a different set of props to find and broken things to fix.And those broken things were in addition to the perpetually-broken lights and speakers - the speakers on the right-hand side of the stage refused to work in Mistral, while the left-hand side was miraculously cured by a change in scenery.

Somehow, everything came together when showtime rolled around, and The Illusion ran smoothly night-after-night.Her free time, however, was spent rereading Weiss’ letter and wondering if they would ever speak again. 

A few days later, her answer arrived. 

“Ruby!”Waving an envelope in the air, Oscar hurried over and handed it to her.“For you!” he added before racing off to fulfill the rest of his deliveries.As soon as Ruby looked down and saw the handwriting on the envelope, butterflies fluttered in her chest.

Weiss wrote back.

Deciding that now was an excellent time for a break, Ruby rushed back to her room and tore open the envelope as soon as she closed the door.This time, she unfolded the sheet of paper and found it filled with words, and she couldn’t stop smiling while reading each and every one - repeatedly, like she’d done with the first letter.

Weiss had spent her entire life in Atlas.Her family had been there forever, which was probably how Oscar found her so easily.She was at The Illusion that night they nearly met because she’d heard about Melody’s act, and that it was something everyone needed to witness at least once.Seeing as how her first visit was cut short, she said that she’d like to return whenever The Illusion returned - not that either of them knew when that would be.

More questions were sprinkled throughout the page, and Ruby didn’t hesitate to pen a response.Weiss’ words were friendly, curious, and clearly open to this unconventional means of communication. 

The feeling was mutual, and it remained mutual when Ruby received a third letter..then a fourth...and a fifth.

The days passed quickly as The Illusion moved on and on, but time seemed to slow whenever Oscar shouted her name and handed over an envelope with her name written across the front.Every word written on those pages, which grew in number as time went on, was savored as if it came from a long-lost friend. 

Weiss didn’t work right now, although she wished that she could.She had two siblings - a younger brother, and an older sister with whom she had a...complicated relationship with.Her relationship with her parents was equally complicated.Her home life, in general, was something she subtly expressed the desire to change.Even though she didn’t go into too much detail, Ruby felt that wish, along with many others, threaded throughout the pages.

As each letter grew more intimate and revealing, Ruby’s heart began to race whenever she saw her name written in curly, elegant font.They probably couldn’t be more different.At the same time, they were more alike than either of them could comprehend.

They both had some lingering issues in their lives, but they were both determined to make the best of it.In Weiss’ case, that meant embracing her role in her family.For Ruby, that meant accepting her place within The Illusion.

“You just have to give it a good hit!”

“I tried that already!” she protested, only to shake her head and sigh when Yang knelt down to try it for herself.“I told you,” she added after Yang smacked the side of the portable generator and nothing happened.“It’s stuck.We should ask Pyrrha for help.” 

When Yang’s response was a grumble, Ruby rolled her eyes and let her sister try to fix the problem.Pyrrha could start it with nothing more than a look, but no.They would do this the hard way.

While giving Yang the opportunity to prove she could actually fix it, Ruby looked around the crew’s portion of the tent and accidentally met Emerald’s gaze.She turned away quickly, but Emerald had already smirked and was walking over.

As soon as Ruby recognized the vindictive look in those red eyes, her adrenaline kicked in and she mentally prepared herself for the impending conversation.Usually, she would walk away in hopes of avoiding the confrontation, but with Yang right here...

“Hey Useless,” Emerald greeted her with a sneer.“Having trouble finding something to do?”

“What did you just call her?” 

When Yang stood up from behind the generator, crossed her arms, and frowned, Emerald flinched and put on an innocent smile.

“It’s a running joke we have.”Emerald’s voice was as sweet as honey, but her eyes shot towards Ruby like daggers.“Right, Ruby?”

That look said that Ruby better agree or face the consequences later.But there would probably be repercussions no matter what she did...the only difference was how severe they would be.

So she gritted her teeth, forced a smile, and said, “Sure.Just a running joke.” 

No matter what she said, Yang wouldn’t believe her.Yang studied her closely, however, before deciding how to respond. 

“Don’t care.Don’t call her that again.”

Accepting the light rebuke with a roll of her eyes, Emerald stalked off rather than risk Yang’s anger.Yang, meanwhile, uncrossed her arms and turned a searching gaze towards Ruby.

“They’re still bothering you?” 

“They’re not _bothering_ me...”

“You’re right.They’re bullying you.”When Ruby sighed at the response, Yang reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.“Tell me if they’re doing anything, ok?I’ll knock some sense into them.” 

The look in Yang’s eyes was sincere, but Ruby didn’t want to be _that_ person - the one who ran to their older sister for help whenever someone said or did something mean.True, her older sister could literally incinerate the entire tent if needed, but she hated needing the help.

“Sure,” she agreed anyway, because Yang wouldn’t accept anything less than that. 

“Good.”With a nod, Yang turned back to the generator and kicked it in the side.Like magic, it started humming again.“Ha!See?Told you it works!” 

When Ruby shook her head, she caught sight of Pyrrha, who held a finger to her lips before slipping away with a smile.

“Good job, Yang,” Ruby added with a laugh at that.“Thanks for the help.” 

“You got it.”Looking pretty proud of herself, Yang dusted off her hands and smiled.“Let me know if you need anything else.I’m going to find Blake.” 

“Yes, you’ve been apart for like...five minutes.It must be hard.” 

“Ten minutes, smartass.And one day you’ll understand.” 

“Uh huh...” Ruby teased while Yang smiled and hurried off to find Blake.Blake would probably find Yang first though - that’s how it normally worked.

After watching Yang go, Ruby glanced around and tried to figure out what to do next.When she spotted Emerald leering at her from the other side of the room, however, she decided to get out of sight quickly.

Her feet led her back to her room on autopilot, and her gaze immediately returned to the most recent letter still laying on the desk.Picking it up and reading it for what must be the hundredth time, she found her happiness returning in leaps and bounds.

Was it possible to like the way someone wrote?If so, that’s how she felt right now.And it was that feeling that made her smile while grabbing a fresh sheet of paper and holding a pen above the page.

As usual, it took no time at all for her to start writing the first thing that came to mind.Today, it was Emerald, Cinder, and the less-savory members of The Illusion.Ordinarily, she wouldn’t complain - she _didn’t_ complain, but that was because she didn’t have anyone to complain to.Yang would stand up for her, which might make things worse.Blake would keep a secret, but Ruby didn’t want to make her keep a secret from Yang.

She trusted Weiss, which meant she trusted that she could be open, honest, and express the feelings she hid from anyone else in her life.From the tone and candor Weiss used in her responses, it felt like she believed the same. 

So, even if this was more intimate or personal than anything they’d discussed so far, Ruby shared her thoughts willingly.And the more she wrote, the more she realized that she _wanted_ to share this information.She wanted Weiss to know her thoughts, and know her better than anyone else.

Selfishly, she wanted to be able to say the same about Weiss.


	3. Valentine

Daytime at The Illusion provided a much-needed break from the chaos of the evening.Rather than scrambling around making sure the show went off without a hitch, the cast and crew spent their time fixing everything they possibly could, practicing new acts, heading into the city for some downtime, or lounging in the back of the tent.

Ruby normally used the time to catch up on her miles-long list of things to do, but these days she also stole a few extra minutes for herself.Well, for herself and Weiss, whose most recent letter held her gaze and full attention while she wandered past stacks of props and unopened boxes of lights.

Their letters had grown longer and more personal, but part of her believed it was only her imagination that Weiss seemed to really like talking to her.Maybe she got that feeling because of the way Weiss wrote, which sometimes came across as someone craving communication.Based on what Ruby knew about Weiss’ family and home life, which sounded lonely and borderline oppressive, that desire for connection made a lot of sense.

As their familiarity grew, and as her heart grew more attached to this wonderful person with a heart of gold, Ruby wished that there was something she could do to help.Unfortunately, she didn’t have many options from halfway across the globe.What she could do, and what she tried her best to do, was offer someone willing to listen while Weiss acknowledged that maybe her father wasn’t a good man.

He sounded outright abusive to Ruby, but she was still waiting for Weiss to use the word first.In the meantime, she offered her unending support - the same as Weiss offered support for her.

In comparison, Ruby’s ‘problems’ were inconsequential, but Weiss listened to them anyway.But it was more than that - she listened, and she encouraged Ruby to follow her dreams.To never give up her hopes of one day being as special as her mom had been.

She was beginning to accept that it would never happen - that she didn’t have the spark of magic her parents did.What she was coming to accept, however, was that her feelings for the person writing these letters had grown strong and undeniable.Even though they’d never shared so much as a meal together, her heart was very much attached to Weiss and the thoughts Weiss shared.

Which was why she read this letter for what was likely the tenth time and sighed when she reached the end once again.She never wanted the words to stop.She wanted the conversation to continue forever.Instead, she folded up the letter, slipped it back into its envelope, and tucked it into her pocket for later.

With her unofficial break over, she looked around the tent with a smile that would fade as the effects of Weiss’ words wore off.Until then, she would find something else to work on…

When a small, jet-black bird hopped across the hall in front of her, she frowned.

“Mr. Qrow?” she called out while walking towards him.“What’re you doing out?” 

The obstinate little bird didn’t acknowledge her, of course.Instead, he fluttered down the hall as if he couldn’t believe the freedom he just found.

“Mr. Qrow, get back here.You know you’re not allowed out.” 

Undeterred by the scolding, he hopped behind a stack of folded lights, forcing Ruby to kneel down to track his movement.

“Your sister is going to be _so_ mad at you,” she warned him, crawling forward while he scurried along the wall.This time, he chirped in disagreement before slipping through the partially-open doorway leading into the main storage room.

Sitting back on her heels and sighing out loud, Ruby hesitated only a second before following him into the room.A lot of bad things could happen to such a tiny, defenseless creature, and Nora would be devastated if one of her beloved pets got hurt.So, even though Ruby hated the dark, creepy storage room, she followed Mr. Qrow inside and briefly paused to let her eyes adjust.

The storage room would be less creepy if they ever installed adequate lighting.Considering that was at the very bottom of their list of projects, the stacks of equipment towered like black skeletons and cast the eeriest shadows.

“Mr. Qrow,” she whispered while creeping further into the room, trying not to trip over anything while also keeping an eye out for any unexpected ‘visitors.’She had no idea who the unexpected visitors might be, but she sincerely hoped they would be of the friendly variety and not some type of soul-sucking alien.

“Mr. Qrow…” she whispered more urgently this time, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible.

Suddenly spotting motion out of the corner of her eye, she spun that way and nearly had a heart attack when something moved out of the shadows.Fortunately, it was only Mr. Qrow, who hopped over to her with a tiny chirp.

“You got scared, didn’t you,” she whispered while picking up the suddenly-compliant little bird, who just proved that there _was_ something seriously creepy about this space.Once he settled into her hands, looking more than willing to be taken back to his room, she made a hasty retreat for the exit.She nearly made it, too, only to pause just outside the door when she heard whispering. 

Her first thought was ghosts - because _of course_ ghosts would love a place like this.Besides, just about the only thing The Illusion lacked were spirits from the beyond, so it was about time some of them showed up.The voices sounded familiar though.So, against her better judgment, she went to investigate.

After determining where the voices were coming from, she snuck between the old and backup equipment in hopes of figuring out who was hiding back here.It seemed like a strange place to meet, unless the purpose was to meet somewhere no one would ever bother looking.

“I’m sorry,” she heard someone say once she got close enough to pick out words.“I can’t find any more.” 

“Then you haven’t looked hard enough.”The second voice was definitely Cinder - Ruby would recognize her low drawl anywhere. 

“I’ve looked _everywhere_ , I promise!No one’s seen any in years.” 

That voice sounded familiar too, but Ruby couldn’t place it as she stepped over a broken light pole and tried to get closer still. 

What were they talking about?And what were they looking for?Most importantly, who was Cinder talking to?

Ruby needed to get closer and find out, so she ducked behind an old wardrobe and peeked around the corner.The room was too dark for her to see clearly, but there were definitely shapes standing in the small clearing nearby.If she could get a little closer…

As soon as she stepped out from behind the wardrobe, she froze when a small chirp cut through the silence of the room.

“What was that?”

Before she could move, a flashlight clicked on and shone right in her face.Caught red-handed, she didn’t even try to make an escape while someone worse than a ghost or soul-sucking alien stalked over to her.

“Look who it is,” Emerald said while grabbing Ruby by the front of her shirt and pulling her into view.Now she was a part of the meeting she hadn’t wanted to be a part of, which turned out to be Cinder, Emerald, and...Oscar?What was Oscar doing here?

“Get out of here,” Cinder hissed to the boy, who met Ruby’s gaze for only a second before hurrying out of the room.Left alone with Emerald and Cinder, Ruby forced the most innocent expression she could muster.

“Hey guys!”She heard the waver in her voice, but hopefully they were too busy glaring to catch it.“Whatcha up to?” 

She didn’t expect an answer, but she needed to think of a way out of here fast.It looked like they didn’t know what to do with her yet, which hopefully meant she could make it out unscathed.

“Mr. Qrow got free again,” she explained, holding up the little bird in her hands.“He ran in here so I followed him, then I thought I heard people talking.”

That was the truth, and hopefully innocent enough that they didn’t suspect she heard something she shouldn’t have.She hadn’t, really.Just that they were looking for something, but she had no idea what. 

“Do you guys hang out back here?” she asked, only to immediately wish that she hadn’t.“It’s kinda creepy,” she added with a nervous laugh.“I definitely won’t be coming back here again…”

She couldn’t tell if she was making this better or worse.Emerald looked like she wanted to dish out a nice punishment for breaking some unspoken rule.Cinder, meanwhile, studied Ruby for a long time before finally speaking towards Emerald.

“Why don’t you help Melody get ready for the show tonight?” she suggested in her low, smooth voice. 

“Now?It’s not even two.”That was the only complaint Emerald got out before earning a glare that made her give up.After grumbling something to herself, she headed out of the room - but not without slamming her shoulder into Ruby’s as she passed.

With Emerald gone, Ruby barely managed a breath of relief before Cinder stepped forward and grabbed her by the chin.Cinder’s grip was too tight to be friendly, but Ruby fought the urge to jerk away while her head was turned left then right.

“Too bad you’re powerless...” Cinder purred, sending a shiver of fear down Ruby’s spine.“Otherwise, I think we could get to know each other a little better.”

“We could, um, still do that now, you know,” Ruby replied, although the last thing she wanted was to become friends with Cinder.“Never too late to make friends, right?” she added with a chuckle that came out far more nervous than she wanted.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time for that.I have...other friends...to spend time with.” 

“Like Oscar?” Ruby asked, only to watch amusement flash through Cinder’s eyes.

“Oscar’s helping me on a...special project.One that puts his skills to the test.”

Ruby didn’t like that response one bit, and she didn’t like the look in Cinder’s eyes when she said it.Whatever they were up to was probably nowhere near as friendly or special as Cinder made it sound.

“Ruby?”

Cinder turned towards the voice but didn’t release her hold on Ruby, forcing Ruby to awkwardly turn in order to see Blake picking her way towards them.

“H-hey Blake,” Ruby replied with an awkward wave.“We’re just...hanging out.”

The response wasn’t enough to fool Blake, who ducked under some spare metal lines in order to walk over. 

“Yang’s looking for you,” she added, her eyes flitting to Cinder as if worried the woman might strike out if she got too close.“She said it’s important.” 

“Oh, ok.I’ll find her.”Seizing upon that opportunity to escape, Ruby carefully slipped out of Cinder’s grasp and hurried to Blake’s side.She didn’t look back as the two of them hurried out of the room in silence, leaving Cinder and that horrible interaction in their wake.

It wasn’t until they reached the main portion of the tent, where other crew members - and witnesses - roamed about, that she sighed in relief.

“Be careful with her,” Blake whispered only when they were far enough away that there was no chance of Cinder overhearing.

“She’s fine…” Ruby muttered, only to give up when Blake sent her a look.“Ok, yeah...they’re pretty mean.”

“‘Mean’ is a nice way to put it,” Blake replied before looking at the little bird sleeping soundly in Ruby’s hands.“What’re you doing with him?” 

“Just...”Thinking about what just happened, all because she didn’t want the little guy running around on his own, Ruby shook her head and forced a smile.“Just taking him for a walk.” 

Even though Blake didn’t seem to believe the answer, she let it go with a small nod.

“Is Yang actually looking for me?” Ruby asked then, but Blake confirmed her suspicions with a shake of her head. 

“I just made that up.”Before Ruby could express gratitude for the quick thinking, Blake glanced the way they just came and met Ruby’s gaze.“Actually, Yang and I are going out this weekend.Do you want to come with us?”

“Go with you?Aren’t you celebrating Valentine’s Day?” 

“Yes, but...”When Blake’s gaze flitted towards the storage room, Ruby understood what was really being offered.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said, and shook her head to dispel some of Blake’s worry.“I can take care of myself for a weekend.”

Surprisingly, being left to fend off Cinder wasn’t the biggest of her worries.Being reminded of Yang and Blake’s weekend plans, which she’d known about for quite some time, made her realize something pretty important.

“Um, Blake?” she asked before the topic drifted away.“About Valentine’s Day...how special is it?”

“I think that depends on who you ask.” 

“Right.”Ruby nearly left the conversation at that, but she needed more of an answer.Unfortunately, the one person she _would_ ask was the one person she didn’t want to spoil this for.“But like...for an average girl...how important do you think it’d be?”

Even though Blake’s eyes flashed with curiosity, she didn’t immediately pry like Yang might.Instead, she mulled over the question before giving an honest response. 

“I think that if an average girl has someone special in their life...they’ll want to celebrate in some way.It doesn’t have to be extravagant though.It can be something as simple as dinner, flowers, or time together - anything that shows you’ve been thinking about them.”

“What does Yang normally do for you?” Ruby asked, and a smile crept onto Blake’s lips while she focused on those memories. 

“Something big and extravagant,” she answered with a soft laugh and shake of her head.“But that’s your sister.”

“That _is_ my sister,” Ruby replied with a smile of her own.“Thanks though.That helps.” 

“Sure.”It looked like Blake would leave the conversation at that, but then she turned back to Ruby with an openly inquisitive gaze.“Do you have someone in mind?” 

“Uh...” 

Ruby could tell Blake - she knew that she could - but she was also a little embarrassed about _how_ much she liked Weiss even though they’d never spoken in person.Would Blake think she was crazy to care about Weiss so much even though they’d never officially met?

“I was just curious,” Ruby said rather than open up that can of worms just yet.And, even though Blake seemed to know that wasn’t a truthful answer, she accepted it with a smile.

“If you do,” she added, “I’d recommend planning something special.Even if it’s as simple as a letter.” 

When Ruby’s eyes widened at the word, Blake just smiled and patted her shoulder before walking away. 

Did Blake know?But how could she know?Had Oscar mentioned something about the letters?Or was Ruby just that obvious?

“Mr. Qrow!” 

Hearing the distraught wail float through the halls, she shook Blake’s words from her mind and raced off to get the little bird home.

“Mr. Qrow!!” Nora shouted again, waking the little bird from his slumber as Ruby jogged around the corner.

“Hey Nora!” Ruby called out before raising her hands as Mr. Qrow peeked above her fingers.“Don’t worry, I’ve got him!”

The relief on Nora’s face was visible as she stood and extended her hands towards her precious pet.

“Mr. Qrow,” she cooed while Ruby gently returned the little blackbird to Nora’s hands.“You scared me half to death, you know?” she continued as Mr. Qrow chirped happily in her grasp.“And your sister is _pissed_ ,” she added with a laugh.“She’s gonna squawk your ear off when you get back.”

That sounded about right, but Ruby smiled at yet another averted crisis.Keeping Nora happy was in _everyone’s_ best interests - and not just because she emceed the show every night.That job alone made her an integral member of the show, but it was her uncanny connection with The Illusion’s wishes that made everyone question just what gift she’d been given.

“Where’d you find him?” she asked while gently petting Mr. Qrow’s tiny little head. 

“He was cruising around the storage room.”When Ruby gestured in that direction, Nora looked that way and grinned.

“He’s scared of the storage room,” she whispered behind one hand, only for her bird to chirp in protest.“But he keeps trying to go in there, for some reason...maybe I should just put his cage in there for a day.”

That _really_ got the chirps going, which Nora listened to for several seconds before laughing.“Anyway,” she added with a bright smile.“I just got news!”

“Oh yeah?”‘News’ to Nora could be any manner of things, so Ruby arched one brow and motioned for her to spill.

“We’re leaving Vacuo in a few days!” Nora explained.“Buh-bye sand, hello snow!”

“Snow?” Ruby asked before her eyes widened with realization.“Wait.Are we going to Atlas next?”

“You bet!Just got the order from the higher-ups.”Nora pointed towards the ceiling with the response, which made Ruby look up only to shake her head when she realized that she just fell for that.

“But that’s great!” she added as her excitement grew.“Do you know when we’ll get there?”

“I dunno...we’ll have three more shows here, then travel...so like a week?”

A week.That was so soon, but also felt like not soon enough. 

But it was so soon.

“Thanks, Nora!”Suddenly over the moon with happiness, Ruby waved and headed back to her room at a quick walk.Preparations for tonight’s show would start soon, but she needed to write a letter first, and she needed to get it to Oscar as soon as possible.

They were headed back to Atlas.She and Weiss would be in the same city again.And it was nearly Valentine’s Day.She’d never really cared about the holiday before - probably because she’d never had someone in her life who she liked in _that_ way.

She liked Weiss in that way, which was crazy and unbelievable but fun and exciting at the same time.For all she knew, her feelings were one-sided, but she should still try to do something special for Valentine’s Day.Just like Blake said - it didn’t have to be big or flashy, but what if it was?

What if they met for Valentine’s Day?

The thought alone made Ruby’s heart flutter as she hurried into her room and closed the door behind her.Only there, in the small, quiet space, did she hear her heart beating in her ears and feel it racing in her chest.

In just a week, they would be in the same city again.They _could_ meet, if they wanted to. 

Based on how Ruby felt right now...she wanted to.She really, really wanted to because _that_ would be special.She could invite Weiss to lunch.They could celebrate a late Valentine’s Day together, in person.They could spend time together in person.

After a tingle of thrill ran down her spine, she hurried over to the desk and grabbed a piece of paper to write another letter to Weiss.She didn’t have time to make it as long or in-depth as the last one, but she needed to get this to Oscar as soon as possible so he could take it to Atlas before The Illusion packed up.

Writing as fast as her hand allowed, she did her best not to sound super cheesy, hopelessly romantic, or really, really nervous while asking Weiss to be her Valentine.

It was cheesy.It was really, _really_ cheesy, but she refused to change it after the words spilled out.Instead, she stuck the letter into an envelope, sealed it up, and hurried out of her room to find Oscar.Hopefully he hadn’t left already...

“Have you seen Oscar?” she asked Ren as she headed back to the tent.

“I think he’s inside.”When Ren gestured towards the tent, Ruby waved and headed inside.It was busier now that they were mere hours from showtime, with cast and crew moving to and fro in preparation.It wouldn’t be long until she was needed for something, but she was determined to find Oscar first.

As soon as she spotted him looking through a box of different costume jewelry, she sighed in relief and hurried over.

“Oscar.” 

He jumped and spun around at the sound of his name, but visibly relaxed when he caught sight of her. 

“Sorry,” she added while stopping in front of him.“Didn’t mean to scare you.” 

As soon as he gave her a slightly-timid smile, the interaction she witnessed earlier popped into her head.Even though she didn’t _really_ want to get involved in whatever Emerald and Cinder were doing…he was her friend, and friends offered support whenever they might be needed.

“You know if something’s wrong, you can tell me, right?I’ll help as much as I can.”Against Emerald and Cinder, she didn’t know how much help she would be, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying.Not that he seemed to want her help at all, as the conflicting emotions in his eyes quickly gave way to a smile.

“Thanks, Ruby.But I’m alright...just have a lot of stuff to find.You got something for me?” 

“I do.”After pulling the letter from her pocket and handing it out to him, she didn’t let go without giving him a serious look.“This one’s important.You need to wait for her to read it and give you an answer, ok?Then let me know as soon as we make it back to Atlas.” 

As soon as she released the envelope, he looked at the name written across the front and smiled.

“I can do that, no problem!”After opening his bag, he stored the letter inside before giving it a pat.“I like taking these for you,” he admitted while slinging the bag back over his shoulder.“It’s way better than some of the other stuff I have to do recently.”

“Do you ever...talk to her or anything?”It hadn’t escaped her attention that Oscar had spent far more time with Weiss than she had at this point, and she felt somewhat relieved when he shrugged and shook his head.

“No, we don’t really talk.I...do talk to Whitley sometimes though.” 

The comment by itself probably wouldn’t have piqued Ruby’s interest, but the way the tips of Oscar’s ears turned pink certainly did.

“Whitley?” she asked, knowing that Whitley was Weiss’ younger brother. 

“Uh, yeah.Sometimes we’ll talk.”Growing even more uncomfortable, Oscar cleared his throat and shrugged.“Only if he’s around though, so not _every_ time.Just...sometimes.”

The pink spread to his cheeks then, but it still took a few seconds before Ruby figured out what was going on.

“Oscar Pine.”She used his full name to embarrass him further, only to smile when his blush deepened.“Do you have a crush on Whitley?”

“No…”

“You do!”His cheeks were approaching a deep red now, and his blush only grew when she laughed and playfully poked him in the side.“Look at you - you’re blushing.”

“I’m not!I’m just -”After sputtering for a few seconds and coming up short for words, he puffed his cheeks out instead.“I’ll get this to her as soon as I can,” he said with a pat of his bag, cleverly directing the conversation back to Ruby.

“Uh huh…you realize it’s almost Valentine’s Day, right?”

“And?”

“And maybe you should think of something special for your crush!” she teased.“Chocolates?Flowers, maybe?”

“Oscar.”He flinched at his name again, then glanced over his shoulder at Cinder.“Maybe a few days,” he said before heading that way.“See you, Ruby!”

With Oscar taking her invitation to Vale, Ruby started work with wings on her feet.In the back of her mind, however, were rampant nerves as she thought of finally meeting the person she’d exchanged so many letters with.What would it be like to finally sit across from each other at the same table?Would they still get along?Would they still have so much to talk about?

In a few short days, she might learn all of those answers and then some.She’d picked a date, she’d picked a time...now she just had to hope that Weiss showed up.


	4. Connection

Setting up the tent in Atlas was one of the most surreal and exhilarating experiences Ruby had felt in some time. Even though she worked through the night taking care of every tedious task dumped in her lap, every glance towards the city sent her heart racing in her chest.

Somewhere in that sprawling city, probably sleeping at the time, was Weiss.

On the night they almost met, which felt like ages ago now, they’d stood only feet apart. That was the closest they’d ever been, but Ruby remembered how nervous she’d been to approach the beautiful girl who looked like she’d walked right out of a dream.

That was dozens of letters ago. That was hundreds of pages, thousands of words, and countless hours of thoughts dedicated to each other. 

Ruby was still nervous, but  _ excited _ nervous. It was anticipation, longing, and eagerness to finally meet the person she liked more than she could have ever imagined. So after a short nap and several outfit changes, she grabbed a stack of fliers and headed away from The Illusion.

Technically, she didn’t even have an answer to her invitation yet, but somehow she knew that Weiss would show up. They’d already expressed interest in seeing each other should the opportunity ever arise, and this was exactly the opportunity they’d hoped for.

The Illusion was back in Atlas for the foreseeable future. Maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks - Ruby had no way of knowing that answer right now, but she knew that they at least had today. If they only had today, they should make the most of it.

“Where’re you off to?”

Pulled away from those thoughts, she glanced Yang’s way and waved the fliers for her to see.

“Going to put these up.” 

Fortunately, the task was so mundane that Yang didn’t ask any questions. At least, as long as Ruby was going into the city during the day, she didn’t have any questions. Instead, she waved Ruby off and headed towards the tent.

It wasn’t a lie - Ruby  _ was _ going to put up the fliers. She might have plans after that, but Yang didn’t need to know about those right now. Maybe later, she would tell her sister all about the girl who’d written her way into Ruby’s heart, but...now seemed a bit too soon to do that.

Yang would ask questions -  _ lots _ of questions, most of which Ruby wouldn’t know how to answer right now. 

“Hey Ruby.”

When Blake suddenly appeared by her side, she literally jumped away.

“Jesus, Blake!” she said, clutching her heart in hopes it wouldn’t beat right out of her chest. “You gonna give me a heart attack!”

“Sorry…I was just wondering where you’re going?”

“I’m putting up the fliers.” She raised the stack of papers as proof, but Blake only glanced at them before giving her a searching look.

“You’re dressed up.”

“I wanted to look nice today…” she replied, doing her best not to blush under Blake’s watchful gaze.

Thankfully, Blake didn’t press the issue. If she did, Ruby would have admitted that she dressed up a  _ little  _ bit more than usual. It wasn’t every day she met the person she’d exchanged dozens of letters with, who she also had some pretty big feelings for, and she wanted to make a good first...visual impression.

“Just...be careful.” When Ruby gave Blake a puzzled look, she motioned towards the tent. “Your sister worries about you...” she added before heading in the direction Yang just went.

Sensing that Yang wasn’t the only one worrying about her, Ruby smiled and felt her heart warm with happiness. It felt like she had two sisters these days, which was awesome in more ways than one.

But they didn’t have to worry about her today. Even though she didn’t have a gift like they did, she could take care of herself. Besides, it wasn’t like she was going to meet a stranger. Weiss was much more than that.

Spotting Oscar heading across the grassy fields towards her, she felt her heart flutter with expectation while she waved him over.

“Oscar,” she called out to him with a smile. “What did she say?”

“She didn’t say anything...but she gave me this.” Pulling a small letter from his bag, he handed it over with a small smile. “I think it’s good?”

In a hurry to know the answer, Ruby opened the envelope right then and there. As soon as she saw the response written within, her excitement grew even more.

_ ‘I’ll be there.’ _

It was the shortest message they’d ever exchanged, yet it was quite possibly her favorite.

They were going to meet today. In just a few hours, actually. All she had to do was put up the fliers in her hands then make her way to the nice restaurant Yang once told her about…

“Um, Ruby? Before you go...can I tell you something?”

When she saw the hesitance and worry in Oscar’s expression, however, she forgot all about her upcoming meeting. 

“Of course you can. What’s up?”

He shuffled his feet and glanced around before responding, but the two of them were alone right now. Probably not for long, considering everyone seemed to be waking up already, but he at least had this small moment to express his worries.

“Um, so a while ago Cinder asked me to find something for her. And I managed to find two, barely, but she wants more. I can’t find any more though! I’ve looked everywhere.”

“Is that what you were trying to tell her?” Ruby asked with a nod towards the tent, where she accidentally stumbled across that conversation with Cinder and Emerald.

“Yeah...I told her, but she insists there are more.” Thinking about the situation, he frowned and stared down at his hands. “I’m just a little...scared.” 

“Don’t worry.” Setting one hand on his shoulder, Ruby gave him a reassuring smile as soon as he looked up. “If she says something or you’re worried, just find me or Yang, ok? We won’t let anything happen to you.” 

She couldn’t tell if the response worked or not, but eventually he bit his lip and nodded.

“Ok...I’ll do that. Thanks, Ruby.” 

“You’re welcome,” she replied before giving him a thoughtful look. “What’s she looking for anyway?” 

“Necklaces.” Ruby’s brow rose at the unexpected response, but he shrugged. “Like the one Melody wears, only clear. She only wants clear.”

“That’s...” 

That was really weird...and didn’t make much sense, but Ruby knew better than to try to figure out Cinder’s mind. If Cinder wanted something, she probably had a reason for it, and that reason was probably too selfish or mean-spirited for Ruby to understand.

“Try not to worry about it too much,” she said instead. “I’ve gotta put these up, but I’ll talk to Yang as soon as I get back. We’ll figure something out, ok?”

This time, he looked much more assured. Probably because he knew, like Ruby did, that Yang was one of the few people willing and able to stand up to Cinder.

Ruby wished that she could do more to help on her own, but that wouldn’t stop her from helping any way she could. Even if that meant enlisting her sister for help...she would do that for Oscar, and to get Cinder to back off.

“I’ll be back in a bit, ok?” She took a step away but waited for his nod and almost-smile before turning around and heading through the rest of the living trailers.

Talking to Yang would be her number one priority as soon as she got back. But first…

When someone suddenly stepped around the corner in front of her, she spun to the side and narrowly avoided colliding right into them. Her shoulder knocked into them, however, prompting her to reach out and steady them while also steadying herself.

“Are you alright??” she asked, only to earn an annoyed scowl from Melody. “I’m sorry,” she added while dropping her hands and taking a step away. “Are you ok?”

With anyone else, the mistake would have been laughed off or easily forgotten. Melody, however, just scowled before rolling her eyes and stalking away. 

“Guess not,” Ruby mumbled under her breath, but paused when she caught a glimpse of the necklace around Melody’s neck. The blue crystal sparkled like it usually did, which made Ruby wonder why Cinder wanted more of them. Was she jealous that Melody had this one? Was she worried that this one might break or become lost somehow?

Spotting Emerald out of the corner of her eye, she decided that now wasn’t the time to dwell on those questions. Instead, she hurried towards the city so she could begin the first part of her task.

The Illusion would be way better off without Cinder and Emerald, but what would they do without Melody? At this point, it felt like the rest of them should seriously consider that question -  _ especially _ if Cinder threatened Oscar. Headlining act or not, there was no excuse for that type of behavior. They were supposed to be family. They were supposed to be bound together by these incredible gifts they shared with the world. They  _ weren’t _ supposed to use those gifts to intimidate others or make people miserable.

After making it to the edge of the city, she looked behind her at the giant red tent visible in the distance. Just seeing it sent goosebumps along her arms and made her realize that The Illusion was important to a lot of people - not just herself. 

As she walked along Atlas’ streets, tacking fliers everywhere, she heard the excited chatter all around her - men, women, and children whispering about the mystical red tent or happily making plans to buy tickets. Their enthusiastic response only made her prouder to be a part of something so incredible, even if her role wasn’t the one she dreamed about.

Right now, however, that didn’t matter as much as it used to. Instead, she wondered if Weiss could see the tent from wherever she was now. She wondered if Weiss felt the same sense of anticipation that she did. And she wondered if maybe, just maybe, that anticipation had more to do with her than the wonders of The Illusion.

She hoped so. She hoped that she wasn’t the only one who felt this way. If she was...well, she would love to be Weiss’ friend regardless. 

Before she could figure out that answer, she had to get rid of the stack of posters in her hands. Fortunately, she knew Atlas pretty well from their prior stops, which meant she knew all of the good places to put The Illusion’s fliers. That, and she dropped twice as many copies in some places, figuring that having extra in the busiest areas wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

The mindless work meant her mind remained focused on Weiss and their impending meeting, and her heart fluttered whenever she caught a glimpse of white. 

It wasn’t long until the time arrived, and her nerves grew when she dumped the rest of the fliers in one place and hurried towards the restaurant she’d picked for their meeting. According to Yang, it had really good food but was still pretty casual, with plenty of outdoor tables that anyone could sit and talk at.

It sounded like the perfect place for a first meeting. They didn’t even need to eat if they didn’t want to, or if they were too nervous to. They could just sit and chat...like they did in their letters, only in person.

While hurrying along the cobblestone streets, passing shops and houses alike, Ruby gave herself the best pep talk she could muster on her own. Mainly, she reminded herself that the two of them knew each other extraordinarily well - that’s why this almost felt like going to meet a long-lost best friend. Personality-wise, they got along. They could talk about anything and everything.

But this would be in real time, and in person. 

Recently, Weiss admitted that she didn’t exactly remember what Ruby looked like. And, even though Ruby provided a brief description in response, she worried about that more than anything else.

What if Weiss thought Ruby was...well, she wasn’t anywhere near as pretty as Weiss. The best she could hope for was being kind of cute. Yang told her that she was cute all the time, but Yang kind of had to say that. Lots of people said that Yang was really pretty though, and Yang was her sister, so maybe she inherited some of the pretty genes too?

Kind of cute. That’s what Ruby hoped for as she crossed the next street and spotted the restaurant just ahead of her - with plenty of outdoor seating, just like Yang said. 

If she said she wasn’t nervous right now, that would be a bold-faced lie. She was  _ really _ nervous, but that wasn’t enough to turn her away - not when she’d waited for this moment for so long. 

Instead, she walked over to the restaurant’s patio, only to freeze when her eyes landed upon the person of her dreams.

_ This _ felt like a dream. That was the only thing she could think while her feet led her towards a table overlooking one of the rivers running through the city. Because sitting there, with her hands crossed in her lap, watching the water flow past, was Weiss. 

She was even more beautiful than Ruby remembered. Her gorgeous white hair had been pulled into a long braid that fell all the way down her back. Her dress was various shades of blue with white accents, but a red-jeweled clasp and ruby earrings offered a pleasing dash of red.

Even though plenty of nerves still raced through Ruby’s veins, excitement, happiness, and disbelief quickly overwhelmed that feeling. Her feet led her over to the table as if drawn by some invisible force, and that force only grew stronger when Weiss sensed her approach and looked over.

The moment their eyes met, Ruby’s heart fluttered.

“Weiss,” she said aloud, only for her smile to grow when Weiss smiled right back - her blue eyes filled with the same excitement and disbelief Ruby felt.

As Ruby reached the table, Weiss stood up to greet her, and she briefly wondered if they should hug. Should they hug? Shake hands?

She couldn’t decide, so she stopped in front of Weiss and smiled like an idiot.

“Hi,” she said, feeling the word like a sigh of relief. Weiss dipped her chin and said ‘hi’ in return, though no sound slipped through her lips before a smile fell back into place. 

In that single moment, as they smiled at each other like they both couldn’t believe this was happening, Ruby’s nerves faded away. Instead, she was incredibly happy and excited to  _ finally _ meet the person she’d exchanged dozens of letters with, who knew her better than anyone but Yang.

That closeness didn’t only exist on pieces of paper - she could feel it now too, sparking through the air between them. But now that they were together in person, space constraints and hand cramps wouldn’t slow them down.

“Hi,” she said again, much to Weiss’ amusement. Before Weiss could respond, however, she remembered something important. “Oh, I hope you don’t mind,” she said while pulling a small box from her bag and offering it to Weiss. “But I wanted to get you something,” she added as Weiss gave it a curious look and slowly opened it. “And I know how you feel about real flowers, so...”

She’d asked Pyrrha for a huge favor and ended up with a beautiful metal rose in return. It was one of the prettiest things she’d ever seen, so she knew that she had to give it to Weiss. 

However, when Weiss looked at a loss for words, picking up the gift and gently twirling it between her fingers, Ruby shuffled her feet and lightly cleared her throat.

“It’s just a thank you for...everything,” she explained, only for her smile to return as soon as Weiss looked up at her. “And for meeting me here,” she added with a motion towards the restaurant. “I know it was kind of last minute, but...you have no idea how excited I was to be back here and finally meet you in person.” After pausing for a second, only long enough to take a deep breath, she added, “And thank you for being so nice to Oscar. He really likes you. I mean, he likes most people, but he really likes delivering letters to you.”

After briefly considering going into the whole ‘and he has a huge crush on your brother’ topic, she decided that she was talking way too much already. So, rather than monopolize the conversation, she paused and waited for Weiss to respond.

With the metal rose still in her hand, Weiss smiled at Ruby for a few more seconds before growing more hesitant. The worried expression immediately made Ruby worry, and she realized that just because talking was easy for  _ her _ didn’t mean it would be easy for both of them.

Before she apologized, however, Weiss motioned for her to sit down. Though still confused, to put it lightly, she willingly did as instructed and felt her heart swoon when Weiss pulled a chair over to sit beside her. Weiss then grabbed a pen and pad of paper from her bag, and began to write.

Watching Weiss write was so unreal that Ruby couldn’t help but stare. The flowing, cursive font appeared on the page word-by-word - the same handwriting that made her heart flutter in her chest.

After only a few words, however, Weiss turned the paper and moved it Ruby’s way.

‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

That put a damper on Ruby’s smile. “Ok...” she began more hesitantly than before. “Um, what is it?” 

She had no idea what it might be, which made her wonder if she even wanted to know. Weiss looked just as unsure about sharing, but then took a deep breath and wrote three more words.

‘I can’t speak.’

“Like...right now?” When Ruby glanced around the restaurant, wondering if someone was eavesdropping on them, Weiss shook her head. 

‘Like ever,’ she wrote. ‘I lost my voice several years ago.’

“Oh...” 

‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,’ Weiss quickly wrote on the next line. ‘I wanted to, but I didn’t want you to treat me...differently.’

That response made sense, as even now Ruby saw the worry in Weiss’ light blue eyes. And it was certainly a shock to learn after all this time, but...did this change anything? Sure, she hadn’t expected this, but they hadn’t used their voices all this time. Actually, they’d already proven that they only needed a pen and piece of paper to connect.

“Do you want me to write too?” she offered, but Weiss shook her head. “So it’s ok if I talk?” she asked another way. “Because I don’t mind writing if that makes you more comfortable!”

After meeting Ruby’s gaze for a few seconds, Weiss smiled. It looked like she actually wanted to laugh at the offer, but the sound never came out. ‘I appreciate it,’ she wrote instead. ‘But please talk.’ 

“As long as you’re ok with that,” Ruby said, though she was already coming to terms with this new normal. She could talk, Weiss could write - that didn’t sound so bad. Although Weiss would probably get tired of writing after too long. “Wait,” she added once that thought occurred to her. “Do you have to write for everyone? Like even your family and stuff?” 

‘I can sign,’ Weiss explained before setting the pen down and lifting her hands. She then made several hand gestures while silently mouthing the words that went along with them, but Ruby couldn’t pick them out. ‘I’ll write for you,’ Weiss wrote next.

“I mean, I can learn how to sign too! I’m sure there’s a book or something, right?” 

The Illusion probably wouldn’t be in Atlas for long, so she wouldn’t get to practice with Weiss very much. But she could definitely learn everything while they were traveling again. “Next time we’re in Atlas, I’ll be a pro,” she added. Weiss smiled and shook her head at the response, but her eyes gave away how happy the idea made her.

It must be hard not being able to speak for herself, which explained some of the difficulties she alluded to in her letters. Maybe that’s why she wrote so much to Ruby...because their communication didn’t hinge on the ability to speak.

“Maybe you can teach me some right now,” Ruby added with a growing smile. “Like...how do I say ‘you’re pretty?’” 

That was the first thing that popped into her mind, and it was only after she said it aloud - and saw Weiss’ resulting blush - that she realized how forward it was.

“I-I mean - or something else!” she stammered. “Something simple?”

Fortunately, Weiss had recovered enough to smile and shake her head. ‘You,’ she mouthed while pointing to Ruby. ‘Are pretty.’ When she passed her hand in front of her face and closed her palm near her chin, Ruby slowly mimicked the movement and smiled when Weiss nodded.

Ironically, she already said the words aloud yet  _ now  _ felt nervous about putting them in the form Weiss used to communicate. But she’d already come this far, and she really wanted Weiss to know that nothing as simple as a lack of a voice would keep her away.

So she held her words at bay and remained silent while repeating the motions Weiss just taught her. A blush returned to Weiss’ cheeks almost immediately, along with that smile Ruby loved more and more every time she saw it. 

‘You’re pretty,’ Weiss signed back, so Ruby laughed and shook her head.

“No,” she said aloud before repeating her gestures. “ _ You’re _ pretty.”

This time Weiss laughed - a silent, happy laugh that made her eyes sparkle with joy. ‘You are,’ she mouthed one last time.

“Takes one to know one, I guess,” Ruby replied with a playful shrug. When Weiss laughed again, Ruby’s heart jumped in her chest. 

After looking forward to this moment for so long, she could say that it was nothing like what she imagined. At the same time, it was exactly what she’d hoped for.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” she sighed, and Weiss made a small gesture that probably meant something like ‘same.’ “Oh! I’m sorry - do you want something to eat?” 

Ruby nearly stood up to go order food for the both of them, only to freeze when Weiss reached over and grabbed her hand. The touch shocked Ruby as much as Weiss, who quickly let go and picked up the pen.

‘Maybe in a bit. Can we just talk for now?’

With a smile, Ruby settled back into her seat and said, “Sure. Of course we can.”

When Weiss mouthed ‘thank you,’ Ruby smiled at how incredible this was. Besides how jumpy her heart was whenever she saw Weiss, this didn’t feel like a first meeting at all. Instead...it felt like they were finally back together after spending too much time apart.

Did Weiss feel that way too? Or was she too nervous about telling Ruby her secret? Because it really wasn’t a big deal. Although Ruby was kind of curious as to how it happened...

“Just so you know, I don’t care if you can’t talk.” She added that disclaimer because she didn’t want Weiss to think that she had a problem with this. She didn’t. She would happily learn how to sign so that they could communicate faster. “I really don’t,” she reiterated when Weiss met her gaze. “But I’m just...curious...” 

When she trailed off, unsure if she should ask, Weiss nodded for her to continue.

“If you don’t mind me asking...why can’t you talk?”

‘You won’t believe me even if I tell you,’ Weiss answered before giving Ruby a sad smile. 

“Try me.” When Weiss looked uncertain, Ruby scooted closer. “My sister literally breathes fire,” she pointed out. “Her girlfriend can create clones of herself. My room is next to a girl who can recreate basically anything by taking a photo of it. Whatever you say, I’ll believe.”

Of all the incredible, weird, and incredibly weird things Ruby had seen and experienced, she knew she would believe whatever Weiss told her. Weiss, however, took a deep breath before nodding and picking up the pen. 

Ruby leaned close to read the words as they appeared on the page...and her eyes widened with each one.


	5. Curse

Opening her purse for what must be the tenth time, Weiss double and triple-checked the contents against her mental list.Her identification cards, as much money as she’d felt comfortable pilfering out of sight, contact information, and the few family heirlooms she couldn’t bear to leave - a couple of family portraits and the mirror from her grandfather. 

After confirming she had everything she needed, she closed her bag and grabbed her favorite coat from the closet.It joined her favorite outfit and her favorite shoes - the most comfortable ones, because she didn’t know how long it might be before she could buy new ones.Hopefully not too long, but she had no idea what was in store for her once she left the house.

But she had to leave.She had to try to find a better life.Staying here meant accepting that this was the way things would always be, and she couldn’t accept that.Not yet.Not anymore.

So she took a deep breath, looked around her bedroom one last time, and left the room behind.No sooner had she closed the door behind her did her heart start racing, and her palms were clammy by the time she made it to the top of the stairs.If she thought too much about what she was about to do, she might not do it.

But the foyer was empty, so she tried not to overthink her actions while hurrying downstairs and making her way to the front door.

“Where are you going?”

The voice froze her in her tracks, and that was all it took for her heart to pound in fear.Still, she forced a smile and turned towards her father, who stood in the doorway of the study - an empty glass in his hand that he was probably going to refill.From the scowl on his lips and the thinly-veiled venom in his tone, he was in a bad mood. 

Knowing better than to test his patience when he was like this, she chose her words carefully and kept her tone as level as possible. 

“I thought I’d go downtown and do a little shopping today...I’ve been meaning to buy a new coat now that it’s colder.”

When his eyes narrowed at the lie, her worry returned.If he said that she couldn’t leave, she couldn’t leave.She would be forced back to her room for shelter, and she didn’t know when she’d find the courage to try this again.

“Be back in time for dinner.” 

Relief, and hope, flickered through her veins, but those feelings disappeared when she spotted the anger in his eyes.

“I will,” she replied while backing towards the door - backing away from his anger.“I promise.” 

For one terrifying second, it felt like he could see right through her lie.He even took a step forward and raised his glass as if ready to dispense punishment, but then a soft thump from upstairs drew his attention away.

“Goddammit, Willow!” he bellowed, making Weiss flinch while he stomped towards the staircase to find the source of the dreadful noise that just interrupted him.

Her heart went out to her mother, who was about to be on the receiving end of yet another firestorm, but she couldn’t stay.Staying...trying to help...would only make it worse.It would make him feel like they were ganging up on him, and his response to that was always...much worse.

Intervening wouldn’t help.Now, her best chance of helping rested in...leaving. 

“Where are you going?” 

Turning towards the question, she sighed when Whitley peeked out of the kitchen before hesitantly walking over to her.

“I’m going shopping,” she repeated as innocently as possible.“Looking for a new coat.” 

“Didn’t you just get a new coat?” 

“Yes...but it's not as comfortable as I’d hoped.” 

As much as she hated lying to him, she had to maintain the lie.If Father found out...

Hearing him shouting at someone upstairs, she and Whitley turned towards the staircase with apprehension and worry for what came next.Would their mother bear the brunt of that ire, as usual?Or would it spill over to them soon?

“Can I come with you?” 

Ordinarily, Weiss would bring him along so they could both get out of the house and be spared the yelling.Today, however, she couldn’t risk it. 

“Not today, Whitley,” she said, shaking her head and backing towards the door.“I think I just want to spend the time alone.” 

His naivety had disappeared with age, so that response only partially worked on him.He didn’t know _why_ he couldn’t come, but he knew that was a lie.And the look he gave her - part sadness, part betrayal - broke her heart.

“Ok, then...I’ll see you for dinner.” 

“Right.”She nodded and attempted one more smile, only to feel a tug at her heart when he gave her another sad look.“Don’t look so sad,” she told him before pulling him into a hug and holding on for a little longer than usual before backing away.

“I’ll see you for dinner,” she repeated, and waited for him to nod before hurrying out into the cold.Her heart was heavy, and she briefly considered just going shopping like she said.Then she would be home for dinner.Then the three of them could continue suffering together.

When she slipped into the car waiting in the driveway for her, however, she realized that she couldn’t go back.She’d already made it this far - she had to keep going.

“Where to, Miss?”

With one last glance towards Schnee Manor - the frozen mansion where she’d spent the entirety of her life - she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“The fairgrounds,” she answered, only for her heart to race when the car rolled out of the driveway and left her home behind.

While the streets of Atlas slipped by outside the window, she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and carefully unfolded it across her lap.It was a wanted ad - she’d found it the other day while walking around downtown, delaying her arrival home for as long as possible.

The Illusion - that magical, unorthodox event everyone loved so much - was looking to hire anyone with an extraordinary talent.They were looking for new performers and encouraged everyone to apply.The advertisement promised free room and board, travel around the globe, and the opportunity to join The Illusion’s ‘family.’

It sounded adventurous but, most importantly, it sounded like an escape.

The decision hadn’t been made lightly but, at the end of the day, she needed to get out of Atlas.If she started making money on her own, and built a life for herself, she could escape her father - just like Winter did.But, unlike Winter, Weiss would go back for them - her mom and brother. 

Chances were they wouldn’t want to leave...because who wanted to leave behind a life of luxury?

They lived in luxury, but it was rotten to the core.If they’d realized that, just like she had, then maybe they would agree to give it all up.To start over - to start with nothing - but still have each other.

She would at least offer them an escape.Whether or not they took it was up to them.But it all started with today, with this opportunity.

Spotting the fabled red tent in the distance, she took another deep breath and clutched her hands in her lap.So much rested on this moment, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.At the same time, she felt strangely...free. 

This was the first act of defiance she’d ever taken against her father, and she hoped it would also be the last.

“Please wait here,” she instructed the driver once the vehicle stopped near the edge of the fairgrounds.After stepping into the cold, she looked at the tent, which was even bigger than she remembered it, and took a deep breath before walking towards it.Her nerves grew with every step, and she clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking, but her determination didn’t falter.

“Excuse me,” she called out to the first person she saw - a girl around her age with short green hair and sharp red eyes.“I’d like to speak to someone about a potential job.”When she held up the advertisement, those red eyes flashed towards it before a smile appeared.

“You’re here to audition?” 

“Yes, please.” 

After an intent, borderline judgmental look, the girl motioned for Weiss to follow her.“Cinder’s in charge of auditions,” she explained as they walked into the tent, where several other workers rushed around, probably getting ready for the show that night.“Let’s see if she’s free.” 

Weiss nodded at the response, but her gaze flitted from side-to-side taking in the sights and sounds around her.She’d seen the event before - many times, actually - but this was her first look behind the scenes.It looked like utter chaos, but she could get used to that.

“Excuse me,” someone said while shoving an entire cartload of weapons past.Her eyes followed the strange sight away, only to put that strange sight out of her mind when the girl nodded towards one of the nearby rooms.Even though her nerves announced themselves loudly when she realized the moment was almost upon her, she didn’t hesitate while following her escort inside.

“Cinder,” the girl called out, and a woman with dark brunette hair looked up from her conversation with another young girl.

“What is it?”

“She wants to audition.”Weiss’ escort gave a slightly dismissive wave before falling into a seat on the sofa, but the brunette - Cinder, she’d been called - gave Weiss an intently judging look.

“What’s your gift?”

“I can sing.” 

Cinder scoffed in amusement while the girl beside her rolled her eyes, but Weiss had expected that response.Anyone could be taught to sing - she knew that.But she also knew that her way of singing was...different.

“Sorry, we’re not interested.” 

“But you haven’t even heard me.” 

Fortunately, Cinder sensed that Weiss wouldn’t leave without the chance to truly audition, so she sighed and lazily waved for Weiss to continue.

“Fine,” she added, though the flash in her eyes suggested her patience was already thin.“You have one minute.”

That was more than enough time for Weiss, who seized the first song that popped into her head and began singing.She started with something melancholy - a mood that reflected her current predicament - before moving into a more hopeful tune.As her emotions shifted, she watched Cinder’s gaze change - from disinterest to rabid interest in the blink of an eye.

The longer Weiss sang, the more their expressions changed.They felt her hopefulness for a better future, then her calm and acceptance with the sacrifices she would have to make to get there, before finally experiencing her passion and desire to create a better life for herself and for those closest to her.With each note, they leaned closer and, by the end of the song, she knew their tune had changed.

Her voice used to soothe her father.It helped calm him down, especially when he became the type of angry that led to violence.Over time, however, he’d learned what she was doing.Now, if she dared try to sing - or even let a fraction of a note slip into her voice - she risked a swift rebuke.

When no one in the room spoke for a long time, she eventually cleared her throat to speak. 

“What do you think?”

Her question snapped her audience out of their trances, and they exchanged glances before Cinder turned towards her with a growing smile.

“I think we just found our main event.”

“Really?” the girl who led Weiss here asked, and Cinder nodded.For some reason, her smile filled Weiss with apprehension.So much so that she took a step away from the intimidating posture. 

“The Illusion _has_ to pick that voice as the headliner,” Cinder continued in her low, confident drawl.“People would come back night-after-night just to hear it.”When Cinder stood and walked over to Weiss, Weiss did her best not to back any further away.

“Every other act we have is something you watch,” Cinder explained.“Something you _see_.But this...this is something you _feel_.And I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

“How would we even do that though?” the other girl asked, and Cinder smirked.

“We have the perfect setup.”Cinder glanced towards the only other person in the room, who’d remained silent the entire time.Now, however, she smiled and nodded.“So yes.”Returning her gaze to Weiss, Cinder smiled and extended her hand.“We’d like to make you an offer.”

Weiss nearly backed away from the contact, but she’d already come this far.She was so close.She couldn’t get scared and give up now.

So she accepted Cinder’s handshake.As soon as their hands touched, however, Cinder held on tightly.

“Don’t worry - I don’t think it hurts.” 

“What are you doing?”When Weiss tried to pull her hand free, Cinder refused to let go.Her fingers only gripped harder into Weiss’ hand, holding on painfully tight while she struggled to get away.“Let go of me!” she shouted, trying to shove Cinder away and free her hand at the same time.

Just as panic set in, a sharp pain raced through her veins - sharp enough to make her cringe and temporarily cease her struggle.But the feeling disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, leaving only a memory as Cinder smirked and finally let go.

“What the hell was that?” Weiss yelled at them, but didn’t wait for a response before racing out of the room.Their laughter followed her as she ran back into the hall, her eyes searching wildly in all directions before spotting an older gentleman pushing a mop and bucket nearby.

“Sir!” she called out, waving her hand while rushing over to him.“Those people back there just...attacked me!”She pointed in the direction of the room, but he glanced that way and gave her a confused look.

“Miss, are you ok?” 

“Something’s wrong with them!” she added, only to realize that she heard nothing when she said the words.“Can you hear me?” she tried again, but she couldn’t hear herself.

She couldn’t hear herself. 

“Hello?” she added, but he looked at her for a few more seconds before shaking his head and pushing the bucket away.

Another wicked laugh reached her ears then, sending shock and fear through her veins as she turned and locked gazes with Cinder.Cinder, meanwhile, smiled and held up a necklace for her to see.Dangling on the end of that necklace was a crystal, and that crystal was a shade of blue eerily similar to Weiss’ eyes.

“You -” Weiss began but again, no sound emerged from her lips.“You stole my voice?” she tried regardless, only for Cinder to shake her head and make a tsking sound.

“You’re still alive, aren’t you?” Cinder replied before handing the necklace to one of her companions and sending Weiss a nonchalant wave.“I think that’s a fair deal.”

When the girl with green hair gave Weiss a menacing scowl and flashed a blade for her to see, she understood what Cinder was actually saying.Still, she stood there, frozen in horror, and could think of nothing to do but stare as they walked away. 

It wasn’t much longer before tears filled her eyes, and spilled over as her heart succumbed to despair.

“Hey, are you ok?”

Hearing the concern directed her way, she turned and ran out of the tent as fast as her legs allowed.Tears streamed down her cheeks, as pain and anguish replaced her naive hopes and dreams.She didn’t know what happened, but she felt the loss now - like a piece of herself was missing.Like part of what made her whole had been torn from her.

She didn’t look back while racing away from the big, red tent that was supposed to be her solution.Her way out of Atlas.Her escape. 

Instead...her greatest gift was stolen from her.

And she was going to be late for dinner.

* * *

‘So I went home,’ Weiss wrote as her story came to an end.‘But I visit The Illusion when it’s in town...to hear my voice again...’

Moving her hand off of the paper, she turned to the side and watched emotions race through Ruby’s expressive silver eyes.Shock, sadness, anger, confusion...it looked like Ruby felt a little of everything while processing Weiss’ story.

“Cinder... _stole_...your voice?”The incredulity in Ruby’s tone added to Weiss’ growing concern, but she hesitantly nodded in return.She knew how outlandish it sounded - she’d met the same disbelief when she mustered the courage to report what happened to the authorities.

Someone stole her voice and trapped it in a necklace - why would anyone ever believe that?Most people just thought she was faking it.That she decided she’d had enough and decided to pretend she lost her voice.

They laughed her out of the station, but this was _Ruby_.This was the girl who Weiss had spent countless hours writing letters to, and countless nights reading and rereading the responses.More than anyone else, Weiss needed Ruby to believe her.

“I -” Ruby said before scoffing and shaking her head.Weiss’ heart ached at the response, and she began to wonder if she should have said anything at all.She could have made up a lie - some medical problem that prevented her from speaking - but she knew how Ruby felt about Cinder.So she just thought...maybe mistakenly...that Ruby would believe her.

“That’s…” 

Stupid?Ludicrous?Impossible?She’d heard all of those before, but didn’t know if she could bear to hear it from one of her favorite people in the world.From the person who made her feel so _alive_ during a time she felt so alone.From the person who’d stolen her heart by listening to her when no one else would.

So when Ruby met her gaze, she tried not to get her hopes up.She’d only been disappointed before.

“That’s why your eyes look so familiar…” Ruby finally whispered.

Just like that, relief rushed through Weiss’ veins.Relief, and an unmistakable joy to be sitting here with Ruby, who was amazing and remarkable in more ways than she gave herself credit for.

“I can’t _believe_ them,” Ruby added, as the sadness in her eyes morphed into something closer to anger.“They’ve always been mean, but this?”She briefly set her hand on top of Weiss’, causing Weiss’ heart to jump in the process.“This is too far,” she continued unaware, turning to the side and biting her lip in thought.

Just watching Ruby work through the situation put a small smile on Weiss’ lips - especially when Ruby’s brow furrowed with a thought.

She was cute.Possibly even cuter than Weiss had expected, though she’d expected someone fairly cute based on how Ruby expressed her views of the world.Plus, she had what could only be described as ‘cutely messy’ handwriting, which Weiss had grown to adore with each letter.And now, with Weiss’ big secret finally out in the open, they could - 

“I’m going to get your voice back.” 

Weiss hardly had time to process the statement before Ruby stood up, but she quickly reached over to grab Ruby’s wrist.

‘No,’ she mouthed with a shake of her head, but Ruby was already nodding.

“I’m getting your voice back,” she repeated.“I don’t care what they try to do to me.I don’t care.I’m getting your voice back so you can live how _you_ want to live.” 

When she tried to pull her wrist free, however, Weiss tightened her grip.

‘No,’ she mouthed again, but Ruby looked set on following through with this idea.

It was a horrible idea, and Weiss needed to tell her as much.So with one hand still clutching Ruby’s wrist, afraid that Ruby might take off if she managed to slip free, Weiss motioned towards the paper laying on the table. 

Fortunately, Ruby caved and reluctantly returned to her seat, though she sat on the edge as if she might bolt at any second.Sensing that she was still determined to embark on this quest, Weiss kept ahold of her wrist with one hand and used her other to begin writing.

‘It’s not worth it,’ she wrote quickly, unsure of how long she had to make her case.‘I’m fine - I’m still alive - and they’re dangerous.I can’t let you take that risk for me.”

As much as her heart swooned at Ruby’s response, which went far beyond the simple belief she’d hoped for, she silently pleaded Ruby to drop this crusade.It wasn’t worth it.She’d learned to live without her voice - she’d learned to survive without her voice - and she’d learned to thrive by letting Ruby into her life.Now, she couldn’t risk something happening to Ruby because of her.

Unfortunately, Ruby looked more determined than ever.

“Don’t you understand...?”When Ruby slowly pulled her wrist free, worry sprang into Weiss’ veins.But Ruby didn’t try to leave.Instead, she turned her hand around and gently intertwined their fingers.This was something Weiss had imagined hundreds of times, but she hadn’t dared wish for it to happen.

Now, feeling Ruby’s soft hand against her own, her heart fluttered in her chest. 

“I like you _so_ much,” Ruby whispered, only adding to the abundance of feelings Weiss couldn’t hope to escape.“I’ve never met someone like you,” Ruby added.“And I _want_ to do this for you.”

With that confession hanging in the air, Ruby held Weiss’ gaze and silently asked Weiss to believe her.And why wouldn’t Weiss believe her?

They might have just met, but they’d exchanged letters for months.They’d shared their most personal thoughts, fears, and hopes.They knew each other probably as good, if not better, than anyone else in their lives.

They might have just met, but they already knew each other.At least, that’s how Weiss felt, as she stared at their joined hands for several long seconds before reaching for the pen.

‘I like you too.’That was an admission she would only make to Ruby, but she couldn’t let these emotions blind them to the very _real_ dangers facing them. 

‘Which is why I don’t want you to do this,’ she added immediately after, but Ruby hardly looked at the words.

“You like me,” she said instead as a big, unstoppable grin settled on her lips.When Weiss pointedly tapped the second sentence, Ruby shook her head.“Sorry, I can’t read that.” 

‘Ruby,’ Weiss mouthed before reaching for the pen, only to blink in surprise when Ruby grabbed the paper and stood up.

“You like me,” she repeated, sounding like she would never grow tired of hearing those words out loud. 

This was a _horrible_ time not to be able to talk, especially when Ruby just took her only other means of conversation.

‘Ruby, please.’When Weiss stood up and signed the words, Ruby moved safely out of her reach.‘We don’t know what they might do,’ she continued even though Ruby couldn’t understand what she was saying.‘If something happens to you, I’ll never be able to live with myself.’

“I’ll learn to sign if I have to,” Ruby replied with a confident smile.“But I’m getting your voice back.”When Weiss shook her head, Ruby nodded.“I am.” 

Before Weiss could even react, Ruby stepped forward, kissed her cheek, and backed away with an even bigger smile.

“I’ll _talk_ to you later,” she added before hurrying away, leaving Weiss frozen to that spot on the patio.After racing across the street, Ruby glanced over her shoulder and smiled when she caught Weiss’ gaze.Weiss, meanwhile, watched in a state of shock and disbelief while Ruby disappeared from view. 

Her cheek tingled where Ruby just kissed her, and the hopeless, happy feeling such a quick gesture filled her with convinced her that she couldn’t give up.

As much as she would love to have her voice back...Ruby was far more important to her. 


	6. Moments

Ruby had known, or strongly suspected, that Weiss had a difficult life.What she hadn’t suspected, however, was that _Cinder_ contributed to it.Cinder - the mean, vindictive woman who went out of her way to make everyone around her feel meaningless.The woman who pretended to own The Illusion, even though it belonged to all of them.

What Cinder did was wrong on so many levels, Ruby couldn’t even begin to explain how angry she was.So what if Weiss was physically unharmed?She spent the last few years without a voice!And only she knew how much she’d suffered because of it.Because of Cinder.And Emerald.And Melody.

They took something that didn’t belong to them and hurt someone important to Ruby in the process.They thought they could bully everyone into submission.They thought that by being the meanest, cruelest ones at The Illusion, they would always get their way.

She wouldn’t tolerate that mentality any longer.For Weiss, for Oscar, and for herself - she would fix this, and she would fix it tonight.

A plan had formed in her mind as she raced back to the tent, and she thought she had an idea that would work.At least, it was a start.What she needed now was to find one of her biggest supporters - someone who always had her back.

“Yang!Are you there?”After knocking several times, Ruby took a step away from the door and waited for her sister to answer.She wrung her hands and shifted between her feet in the process, overcome with anxious energy that wouldn’t go away anytime soon.“Yang!” she said again, and her hand was already raised to knock when Blake opened the door.

“Blake,” Ruby sighed in relief.“Is Yang here?I need to talk to her.”

“What’s up, Ruby?”

Spotting Yang sitting on the bed, pulling on her shoes, Ruby rushed into the room. 

“I need your help,” she said first, knowing that would get their attention.And it did, as Blake shared a look with Yang before shutting the door and returning to Yang’s side.

“With what?”

That was all Yang had to say for Ruby’s words to start tumbling out.

“You’ll never believe me, but Melody’s voice isn’t hers.Cinder stole it from someone and gave it to Melody, and I need to get it back.”

“...what?” 

“Her voice!”Suddenly incredibly antsy, Ruby threw her hands in the air and paced in front of them.“How she sings - it’s not her voice!They stole it from someone and we have to get it back!” 

“Slow down a second.”When Yang reached out and touched Ruby’s arm, Ruby stopped pacing and sighed.Her nerves and anxiousness were firing at full steam, but this was _important_.This was Weiss’ _voice_.She had to get Weiss’ voice back.

But first, she took a few deep breaths, tried to slow down her racing thoughts, and only nodded to Yang when she felt a little calmer.

“Ok,” Yang said while setting her hand on Blake’s leg.“Now start at the beginning.”

“I have a...friend,” Ruby began, feeling her words pile back up.“She sings, so she tried to audition for The Illusion a few years ago.But Emerald and Cinder pretended to be in charge of the auditions, and Cinder _stole_ her voice.They trapped it in that necklace Melody wears during her act, and I have to get it back for her so that she can talk again!”

With the summary over, she paused, took a deep breath, and silently hoped that they would believe her.But Blake’s brow was furrowed, and Yang stared with her mouth hanging slightly open.

“You don’t have to believe me,” Ruby added when no one spoke for a few seconds.“But _please_ help me get that necklace.It’s really, _really_ important to me.”

She would learn to sign if she had to, but she had to at least make an effort to help.Because she knew what type of person was being trapped behind Weiss’ wordless exterior.Someone so brilliant, kind-hearted, and magnificent that it was a crime no one else got to see.

“Is this letter girl?” 

As soon as Yang asked, Ruby’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How -?” she began to ask, only for Yang to shake her head.

“Ruby, you’ve been cheesing at pieces of paper for months now.How blind do you think I am?”

Ruby thought that she was being inconspicuous, but when put that way, it sounded pretty obvious.

“Ok,” she replied.“It’s a long story, but her name is Weiss.She lives here in Atlas.I saw her last time we were here but was too scared to talk to her, but then we started exchanging letters and...” 

And they grew really close.They became close friends, and...

“And you like her.” 

“And I _really_ like her,” Ruby admitted, much to Yang’s delight and Blake’s pleasant surprise.

It was true.She liked Weiss more than she’d ever liked someone before.But, even if she didn’t feel this way, she would still do this - because it was the _right_ thing to do.

But she couldn’t do it on her own, which was why she waited on bated breath while Blake and Yang did that silent communication thing they always did.Once a decision was made, Yang nodded, and Ruby’s hope renewed.

“What do you need us to do?”

* * *

How many times before had Ruby stopped whatever she was doing to listen to Melody’s act?How many times had she stood at the end of the tunnel and felt that voice speak to her on a deeper level than anything she’d ever felt?How many times had she thought to herself that she loved Melody’s performance more than any other?

It was all a farce - she saw that now.Such a beautiful gift couldn’t belong to someone so cold and contemptuous.It belonged to someone beautiful through-and-through.

So tonight, she watched with apprehension as the stage was prepped for the final act.Nora’s voice floated across the crowd, getting everyone excited for what they were about to experience, but the prospect of hearing Weiss’ voice come from someone else’s mouth put a rotten feeling in Ruby’s stomach.

Tonight was the last time Melody used something that wasn’t hers - of that, Ruby was certain.She didn’t care if she was ‘useless.’She didn’t care if she didn’t have a gift like everyone else in her family.If Cinder did this to Weiss, she could do it to Yang.She could do it to Blake, Oscar, Pyrrha, Penny, or any of the other performers.

So she didn’t care if this moment felt too big for someone ‘like her.’She wasn’t alone, and she was too determined to fail.That feeling only grew when Melody stepped onto the stage to a round of applause she in no way deserved.While she walked over to the microphone, Ruby narrowed her eyes, pinpointed the necklace, and felt her anger grow.The moment she stepped forward, however, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

Turning in surprise, she found her gaze locked with crystal blue that normally made her heart swoon.Right now, however, something closer to panic jumped into her veins.

“Weiss?What’re you doing here?You need to leave -”

‘No,’ Weiss mouthed in return, shaking her head and keeping a firm grip on Ruby’s arm.

“Weiss -”As the opening notes of music played through the tent, Ruby glanced that way and felt her alarm grow.“Weiss, you need to get out of here. _Please_ \- I don’t want you to get hurt.”

But Weiss didn’t let go.Instead, she mouthed something that, from the way she pointed towards Ruby, felt like an ‘I don’t want you to get hurt either.’As sweet as the concern was, Ruby didn’t have time to argue right now.Instead, she looked around and thought of a quick way to get Weiss out of harm’s way. 

“Actually, did you buy a ticket?”When Weiss’ brow creased at the question, Ruby wrapped an arm around her waist and led her outside.“Jaune!” she called out as soon as she saw the boy standing at the exit of the tunnel.“She slipped in without a ticket.Can you make sure she stays out here?” 

“Sure.” 

Ruby tried to surrender Weiss to Jaune’s watch, but Weiss refused to let go of her wrist. 

“Weiss...please…”The first song was nearing its midpoint, which meant she needed to get into position as soon as possible.“Weiss,” she tried one last time, setting her hand over top of Weiss’ and looking deep into blue eyes.“Please let me do this.”

Conflict swirled in Weiss’ eyes, but she knew better than anyone how much Ruby felt held back.How much she didn’t want to be treated like she had to be watched out for.She wasn’t a child, and just because she couldn’t set things on fire didn’t mean she couldn’t take care of herself.

That was probably why Weiss loosened her grip, but Ruby didn’t have time to ask.Instead, she slipped her wrist free, gave Weiss a grateful smile, and ran back down the tunnel.

The first chorus had just ended, which meant their time would come soon.Cinder and Emerald were nowhere to be found, which could be a good or bad thing.Ruby would rather know exactly where they were, but at least they weren’t close enough to be immediate help.

While the song continued, Ruby’s adrenaline grew and her focus zeroed in on the necklace around Melody’s neck.Any second now, their cobbled-together plan would spring into action.They just needed to wait for Ren’s signal...

Two bars into the second chorus, everything shut off.The lights cut to black, plunging the tent into darkness.The speakers cut off mid-sentence, leaving an eerie silence where sound had once been.

That silence quickly filled with confusion, as the crowd murmured amongst themselves wondering what just happened.When the lights briefly flickered to life only to fall dark once more, the audience groaned with realization.Meanwhile, Ruby slipped closer to the stage and watched Melody observe the situation with the same curiosity as the fans.

After a few seconds of everyone wondering what was going on, Nora hopped onto the stage and waved her arms for everyone’s attention.

“Sorry, everyone!” she yelled so everyone could hear her.“It looks like we’re having some tech issues right now, so we’ll have to end the show early.”When the crowd gave a collective “awe” at the bad news, she chuckled and shook her head.“I know, I know, it sucks!But our _ravishing_ tech guru just told me this will take a while to fix.So please make your way safely to the exits - you should see the flashlights now.Walk towards the lights!”

A few chuckles rippled through the crowd as they accepted the unfortunate turn of events and slowly got to their feet to leave.Crew members motioned with flashlights at the end of each tunnel now, gently beckoning the audience towards the exits and away from The Illusion for the evening.

While they shuffled slowly past, Ruby’s gaze locked onto Melody.More specifically, the necklace hanging around her neck, which glowed unnaturally in the dark.With the show officially canceled, she wouldn’t stick around.That was her thing, after all.She disappeared as soon as the show ended - no autographs, no talking to fans, nothing. 

Tonight, however, they couldn’t let her slip away.So the moment she turned to leave, Nora stepped in front of her.

“Wow!Look at your necklace - it’s glowing!”When Nora reached towards the necklace, Melody stepped back and swatted her hand away. 

“Can’t I just see it?” Nora pressed, much to Melody’s obvious annoyance.“Just let me hold it for like a second!”

Before Melody could say ‘no,’ the necklace lifted off her neck on its own and soared towards Ruby.Touching her suddenly-barren neck, Melody spun around in anger and snapped loudly in Ruby’s direction.

Ruby didn’t stick around to find out what those snaps meant.As soon as the necklace landed in her hands, she sprinted towards the performer’s entrance to the stage.With the audience still taking up all the other exits, it was the fastest and most available escape.

“Thanks, Pyrrha!” she got out while racing past the girl, who nodded and stepped forward to head off Melody’s pursuit.

First part done.Now Ruby had to get the pendant out of her hands as fast as possible. 

But as soon as she exited the tunnel, something slammed into her shoulder so hard that it knocked her right off her feet and sent her sprawling onto the floor.She managed to keep the pendant safely clasped in her hands, at the expense of every other body part.

Disoriented and confused, she righted herself and made sure the pendant was unharmed.Only after confirming that did she look up and realize what just ran into her - Emerald.

“I’m going to need that back.” 

When Emerald pointed to the necklace, Ruby scrambled to her feet and backed away.

“It’s not yours.”

“It’s not yours either,” Emerald pointed out while taking another step closer, forcing Ruby back a step to match.She could try to run, but she wasn’t sure that she could outrun Emerald.Instead, she held the pendant behind her back and slowly backed away.

“I’m giving it back to the person it belongs to,” she said as Emerald matched her step-for-step.“And you can’t stop me.”

“You know...I was hoping you’d say that.”With a menacing smile, Emerald pulled a knife from her pocket and passed it between her hands.And that was exactly what Ruby expected - should Emerald get involved, she would resort to real violence.

“And I was hoping you’d be predictable.” 

When Ruby put her hands back in front of her, she uncurled her fists to show empty palms.And, for a split second, Emerald didn’t understand what happened.Instead, she stared at Ruby’s hands in disbelief before a vicious scowl appeared on her lips.

“You have a death wish,” was all she said before clutching the knife and lunging forward. 

But she hardly made it halfway before being met by a ball of flames, forcing her to stop and stumble backward in surprise.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”With a scowl on her lips, Yang cracked her knuckles and watched flames cover her fists.When Emerald didn’t back down, but instead switched the knife between her hands, Yang lunged towards and threw a punch that barely missed Emerald’s jaw.

Emerald responded with lightning-quick reflexes - ducking out of the way and stabbing the blade towards Yang’s torso - but a burst of flames made her yelp in pain and drop the knife to the floor.Before she dove to retrieve it, Yang kicked it down the hall and took another swing at Emerald’s jaw.

“Go find Blake!” she told Ruby before blocking Emerald’s follow-up and shoving her into the wall.Watching the fight unfold, Ruby was overcome with indecision.But she couldn’t just stand and watch, and she couldn’t help without getting in the way.So she did as told - turning around and racing away in search of Blake.

“Blake!” she called out while sprinting through the back areas of the tent.She had to find Blake so they could get the pendant to Weiss as soon as possible.But maybe Blake already found Weiss?

That hope came crashing down when Ruby flew around a corner and slid to a stop.

Cinder found Blake first, and now had her roughly by the arm while she struggled to get away.The pendant dangled in her hand, out of Cinder’s reach, but it probably wouldn’t stay that way for long.

And seeing those two struggling with each other - with Yang still fighting with Emerald, and Pyrrha possibly fending off Melody - angered Ruby like nothing ever had before.These were her friends - the people she cared about - her family - and she would protect them just like they protected her.

“Let her go!” she shouted, drawing Cinder’s attention her way.The smirk that appeared on Cinder’s lips only angered her further, so she did the first thing that popped into her head - sprinted into the fray.

Her feet pounded against the floor as she tore down the hall, closing the distance as fast as possible.Her breaths grew deeper, her heart pumped faster, and then…

Suddenly, it felt like her feet weren’t even touching the ground anymore.It felt like she was flying.And, in only a fraction of a second, she closed the space between them, lowered her shoulder, and slammed into Cinder’s ribs.

She heard a whoosh of air leave Cinder’s lungs as the two of them crashed through the wall and tumbled into the room beyond.The next few seconds were a jumble of arms and legs and bruises and scrapes before the world finally stopped spinning.Only then did she groan, push herself to her feet, and look around in confusion. 

They were in the control room now, with a newly-formed entrance to the right of the real door.

She just ran fast enough to break through a wall…?

“Ruby!” 

Back in the hallway, Blake was racing after them, but Cinder regained her feet and stood between Ruby and the door. 

“Go find Weiss,” Ruby told Blake, who hesitated just outside the door and glanced at Cinder.Cinder, however, had a scowl reserved only for Ruby.

“Go!” Ruby urged Blake.“I’ll take care of myself.”

When Blake finally nodded and raced away, Cinder didn’t even glance after her or try to pursue.Her gaze remained locked on Ruby instead.

“You sneaky bitch.”Lightly touching where Ruby’s shoulder just landed, her scowl deepened.“You had a gift and didn’t tell me?I’m hurt.” 

“Like I’d ever tell you anything,” Ruby snapped back, though her mind raced at what Cinder just said.

Was that what just happened?Was that her gift?Had she just unlocked it?

But she had no idea how she did that, so it wouldn’t be any help getting her out of this situation.Instead, she stepped back when Cinder approached her.

“Stay away from me.” 

Even though Cinder was backing her into a corner, her voice was firm and even.Her heart raced - with adrenaline not fear.And her mind worked quickly as she set one hand on the counter and subtly searched for anything that might help.Something that could be used as a makeshift weapon?Something that would let people know where she was?

“And here I thought we were friends,” Cinder said with a sad shake of her head.“But friends don’t keep secrets, and friends don’t take things that don’t belong to them -”

“Her voice _never_ belonged to you.” 

Ruby heard the anger in her voice as it surged through her veins, but Cinder smiled at the reaction and took another step closer. 

“I think of it more as...using _my_ gift.It may not be show-worthy, but it’s quite _unique_ , isn’t it?”

While Cinder smirked at her ‘gift,’ Ruby’s hand finally stumbled across something that would help.At the very least, something that would prove to everyone at The Illusion that _Cinder_ didn’t belong here.

“You can’t just go around stealing people’s gifts,” Ruby replied, hearing her voice loud and clear over the pounding of her heart in her ears.

“But I _can_.Actually…”From one of her pockets, Cinder removed a necklace identical to Melody’s, except this one had a clear pendant dangling upon it.“I’ve been saving this one for someone _special_.”

When Cinder offered her hand, Ruby smacked it away and glared. 

“Don’t be like that,” Cinder purred while stepping even closer.“I think I’ll keep yours for myself…”she added with a sinister smile.“Then I’ll take your sister’s, and her girlfriend’s, then the rest of the people in this tent.I’ll control _every_ gift and run The Illusion myself.” 

“You don’t get it, do you.”With nowhere else to go, Ruby stood her ground and shook her head at just how _wrong_ Cinder’s way of thinking was.“The Illusion isn’t about who’s the most powerful or talented,” she continued.“It’s about having a gift and _sharing_ it.Using it to inspire others, or make them smile and laugh.What _you’re_ doing is malicious and greedy, and you know what?We’re sick of it.”

“‘We?’” Cinder repeated with a smirk.

“Yes.We.”

Ruby’s confidence sent confusion flickering through Cinder’s eyes, but that confusion became concern when Ruby reached behind her and restored power to the lights in the main arena.There, standing on the stage, were the cast and crew of The Illusion.From their folded arms and the scowls on their lips, they weren’t happy.

“You picked a fight with the wrong family,” Ruby said after raising the volume so that Cinder would hear her voice echo from the speakers in the tent.

Realization quickly followed, but Cinder looked at a loss for what to say.Now that the entire crew knew what she’d done - and planned to do - the game was up.She lost, and she knew it too.

“You sneaky bitch,” she sneered at Ruby as footsteps raced towards the control room.Before she could attempt anything else, however, Yang flew through the door, grabbed her arm, and dragged her away from Ruby.

“Get the hell away from her,” Yang snapped while shoving Cinder into the opposite wall.

“And get away from _us_ ,” Blake added with a fierce glare.“Take your friends with you.”

When Blake moved aside, Ruby looked into the hall and found Emerald along with...a girl she’d never seen before - short, petite, with tri-colored hair and two different colored eyes.Both of them had their hands bound together, pieces of tape stuck over their mouths, and _serious_ scowls on their faces.

“You can’t make me leave -” Cinder began to say only for Nora to raise her hand.

“Uh, actually, we can.Majority rules!And the majority says - you’re fired.”

For a long, silent second, Cinder clenched her jaw and glared.When the crew watching from the stage began shouting for her to go, however, she finally understood that she was both unwelcome and outnumbered.

“Fine,” she scoffed before straightening her shoulders and brushing past Yang.

“Penny?” Yang asked as soon as Cinder walked out of the room.No more instruction was needed for Penny to nod and lift an entire arsenal into the air, which moved unnervingly close to Cinder and her two cronies.

“I’m not happy that you tried to hurt Ruby,” Penny stated matter-of-factly.“And I’ll be escorting you off the premises immediately.”

While it looked like Cinder wanted to respond to the comment, she wisely kept her mouth shut and stalked away without a word.Nora gave Emerald a nudge to follow, and soon Cinder and her cronies were being removed from The Illusion for good.

“Good riddance,” Yang scoffed before walking over to the counter and leaning towards the microphone that had been right behind Ruby the entire time.“The witch is dead!” she told their audience.“Time to celebrate!”

After a loud cheer and many high-fives at the news, the crowd began talking amongst themselves while several people ran off to collect as much booze and food as they could find.Yang, meanwhile, turned towards Ruby and smiled.

“You ok?”

“I’m good.”A few bumps and bruises from the tumbles she took, but nothing that wouldn’t heal on its own.“Where’s Weiss?”

“I told her to stay with Jaune,” Blake answered, and Ruby immediately hurried into the hall.“But Ruby -” she heard from behind her, but she was already rushing through the tent in search of Weiss.

They won, kind of.Cinder, Emerald, and the girl who must have once been Melody were leaving.Blake got the pendant back to Weiss.But Ruby couldn’t count it as a win until she saw for herself that Weiss was alright. 

Figuring that Jaune was probably somewhere near the main stage with the rest of the crew, Ruby raced there as fast as her feet would carry her.After sprinting down one of the tunnels and finding the stage still filled with people, she paused and searched for a distinct flash of white.

“Weiss?” she called out when she didn’t immediately find who she was looking for.She knew Weiss had to be here somewhere, but now she was getting worried -

“Ruby?”

She froze at the sound of her name, spoken in a voice she’d heard in song so many times, but never used with such...softness. 

Slowly turning around and finding Weiss standing at the end of the tunnel, with tears in her eyes, Ruby raced over and wrapped her in a hug. 

“Hi,” Ruby said, grinning like an idiot while Weiss smiled back at her. 

“Hi.” 

“You’re talking,” Ruby pointed out, and Weiss laughed - a light, hopeful sound that made her heart jump with joy.

“I am.”Eyes sparkling, Weiss moved into Ruby’s embrace.“Thank you.” 

“You don’t need to thank me.”

“That’s a shame...I thought there might be a reward in order.” 

“Ok, you can totally thank me.” 

“I thought so,” Weiss replied with another laugh.Then, with a smile and slightly hesitant gaze, she lifted her hand and delicately brushed her fingers through Ruby’s hair.The look in her eyes reflected everything Ruby felt in her heart - gratefulness, fondness, affection, and just a little disbelief that this was where all of those letters led them.

Those feelings only grew when Weiss leaned forward, and Ruby quickly met her halfway for a kiss.The moment their lips touched, excitement sparked through Ruby’s veins, and she smiled when an adorable little giggle slipped through Weiss’ lips.

This all began with a dropped mirror, a string of letters, a Valentine’s connection, and a lifted curse, but it ended with a kiss Ruby would never forget.She could already feel that Weiss wouldn’t either, as she pressed closer and their lips found new ways to express the feelings they’d kept bottled up for so long.

“That’s my sister!Got her gift and a girl on the same night!”

_That_ finally broke them apart, and Ruby turned to the side as Blake shushed Yang and dragged her away.Yang’s thumbs up put an immediate blush on Ruby’s cheeks, but she was so happy right now that she couldn’t help smiling.That feeling only grew when she turned back to Weiss, who had a blush of her own growing on her cheeks.

“She’s so embarrassing,” Ruby whispered, only for her smile to grow when Weiss laughed and met her gaze.

“What did she mean though?That you got your gift?”

With a smile, Ruby reached out and gently squeezed Weiss’ hands.“I’m looking at her,” she said before nodding towards the celebration underway.“Come on, there’s a lot of people I want you to meet.”

It wasn’t that long ago when she would have considered discovering her gift to be the most important moment in her life.Now...it only took one glance at Weiss to know that no longer held true.In the coming weeks or months, she could figure out if what happened was her gift or just a one-off miracle.In the meantime, she couldn’t wait to spend more time with Weiss and get to know each other even better than they already did.

And maybe share another kiss or two.


	7. Future

“Welcome!”Ruby called out to a family walking towards her.When the children in front - a young girl and young boy - reached her, she knelt down and smiled up at them.“Ready to see some magic?”

When she reached forward, flicked her wrist, and pulled a coin from behind the little girl’s ear, her eyes widened in surprise.

“How…?”When Ruby offered the coin to her, she flipped it over in her small hands before giving Ruby a look of disbelief. 

“Magic,” she whispered before repeating the trick for the little boy. 

“But that’s not magic,” he replied with a near frown on his lips while Ruby handed him the coin. 

“It’s not?”Playing dumb, she pursed her lips for a second before pretending to have an idea.Next, she pulled out the black marker she always kept on her and handed it to him.“Can you write your initials on that for me?”When he gave her a confused look, she tapped the top of the coin.“Right there on top.” 

Jaune chuckled while taking tickets from the rest of the people in line, most of whom were growing curious about what Ruby was doing.But she focused on the little boy, who wrote his sloppy initials on the coin and handed the marker back to her.

“Great!Now can you throw that as far away as you can?”When he looked at her as if he didn’t understand the request, she nodded and gestured to her left.“How about over there?”

“Go ahead, Troy,” his father encouraged him while his sister nodded.So, after a shrug, he drew his arm back and chucked the coin across the field.He watched it sail away tumbling through the air a good forty feet away.

“Oh, whoops.”With his initials facing up, Ruby handed the coin back to him.“Looks like you dropped it.Try again?”

While he stared at the coin in disbelief, his parents chuckled and his sister nudged his side.“Throw it, Troy!” she whispered to him, but this time he gave Ruby a suspicious look before throwing the coin in the same direction as last time.

This time, he watched the coin like a hawk while it soared through the air, but he probably couldn’t see it disappear mere feet before it touched the ground.

“If you want to keep it…”With a grin, Ruby held the coin out to him one more time.“You can say so!”

This time, she held the coin initials side down.When he turned it over to find his initials still written there, his little sister squealed and shook his arm.The response made Ruby smile - even more so when he looked up at her with wide, fascinated eyes.

“That’s magic,” he whispered, at which point Ruby patted her knees and stood up.

“There’s even more inside,” she replied, and added a wink while gesturing them towards the tent.“Have fun!”

The parents ushered their two kids along the path to The Illusion, but the young boy looked over his shoulder for a long time before finally leaving that moment behind.

“So cool…” Jaune said from beside her, but she shook her head and laughed.Just because she could do ‘real’ magic now didn’t mean she lost her fondness for the old-school tricks.Sleight-of-hand, in particular, continued to be her favorite.Something about using nothing more than a quick hand motion and the perfect angle still kept her excited and intrigued. 

Kids, however, liked ‘real’ magic, which she was more than happy to provide.Many of them were visiting The Illusion for the first time, and who knew when they might ever make the trip again.Such an important night was worthy of some extra magic.

“Go right on inside and find a seat,” she told the young couple next in line, who looked like they might be on a first date.“The show will start soon!” she added while returning their ticket stubs and motioning towards the giant red tent in the background.As they headed off with excited whispers, she gave Jaune a knowing look and smiled as she turned back to the rapidly dwindling line.

For the better part of the past hour, she and Jaune had collected tickets and welcomed The Illusion’s newest guests in for the evening.From the look of it, they would have a full house tonight - the perfect start to their time in Mistral.Not only that, but everyone Ruby spoke to seemed happier and more excited than usual.Or maybe that was just her own excitement wearing off.

“Think you can take over?” she asked once the line dwindled to nothing.

“Definitely.”When Jaune sat down on the nearby stool and sighed, Ruby gave him a look.“What?” he asked with a laugh.“I’m prepared to take any tickets handed my way.All-star ticket taker - that’s me.”

With a laugh and roll of her eyes, Ruby handed him her basket of stubs and backed towards the tent.“Try not to sprain a wrist, All-Star,” she teased.“Oh, and don’t miss Pyrrha’s act.You know she wants you to be there.”

“I have a timer to remind me.”When he pulled out a stopwatch that had a timer already going, Ruby grinned and finally hurried off to The Illusion’s staff entrance.

‘Hurrying’ didn’t mean the same as it had in the past, when she was limited by how fast she could run.These days, she could get just about anywhere in a few seconds if she wanted to.Her newfound speed had opened up another realm of possibilities for her, which she used to accomplish even more tasks than she had before.

“Ruby!” someone called out to her as soon as she zipped inside.“I’m missing a sword,” Penny continued once Ruby went over to help.

“Do you know where it is?” Ruby asked while glancing over the collection of weaponry Penny already had with her.

“I’m not sure...they were all in the storage room, but someone must have taken one to play with.”

“Got it.I’ll grab it for you!”

Penny hardly had time to smile before Ruby buzzed away to complete her newest quest.First, she checked the storage room, which was the most obvious location for a runaway sword.When she found nothing but odds and ends strewn about the room, she returned to the hall and searched the hard way - by checking every available surface.

Although that wasn’t even very ‘hard’ these days, as her gift allowed her to speed through the halls in the blink of an eye.Searching the entire tent took no time at all, and she skidded to a stop when her eyes landed upon something that didn’t belong.

“Nora,” she muttered while walking over and grabbing the sword, which was being used as a doorstop for Nora’s self-proclaimed ‘office.’ _Why_ Nora needed a doorstop was a bit of a mystery considering the door remained open on its own, but Ruby had learned not to question things when it came to Nora.Instead, she pulled over a nearby chair and used it to ‘prop’ the door open before removing the sword.

Since blasting through the halls wielding a sharp object seemed like a bad idea, she returned to Penny at a regular jog and presented the sword with a flourish.

“Your weapon,” she added while bowing and holding it over her head.

“You found it!Thank you, Ruby.”

“No problem.Good luck - and have fun!” 

Now that Penny had everything she needed, she smiled and headed towards the stage entrance to open the show.Ruby, meanwhile, spotted a friendly face rushing over to her.

“Ruby!” Oscar greeted her with a big smile.“Come on, the show’s about to start!”

“I’ll catch up,” she replied, only for him to fall flat-footed and frown.“I need to stick around in case someone needs help,” she explained before waving for him not to wait for her. 

“Ok...but don’t miss the end!”

“I would never.”When he raised one brow, she laughed and drew an ‘x’ across her heart.“Promise!”

Accepting the response, he nodded and hurried to join the crowd while Ruby set off to see who else needed help.Lost items needed to be found, costume failures needed to be mended, and broken props needed to be fixed - those were the most common issues that plagued The Illusion on any given night, and tonight was no different.

Something that was different?The sense of anticipation in the air, which she heard in the hushed conversations and felt in the antsy energy around her.Every night at The Illusion was special...but tonight seemed a little more so.Maybe that was only her wishful thinking, but that wouldn’t stop her from thinking it regardless.

By the time the midway point of the show came and went, her excitement and anticipation had grown but she couldn’t call it quits just yet.Once another act finished, she would be done.Until then, she sat down in the main hallway on a stack of unopened boxes.While watching the remaining performers go through their final preparations and the finished performers lend help wherever needed, she couldn’t help but smile.

In these moments, she understood why her parents called The Illusion home for so long.Working here wasn’t just a job with free room and board and the chance to travel the world.Working here meant belonging to a unique, fantastical community.Everyone had their quirks - not just the performers - but they all banded together to create a night for everyone to remember.

Besides, some of Ruby’s favorite people in the world also worked here - including Yang and Blake.

“Hey guys!” she called out when she saw them, and they smiled while heading over to her.“Are you excited?” she added, and Yang grinned, but Blake shrugged as if tonight wasn’t a big deal. 

“It’s just another show…” she even said, but Ruby shared a look with Yang before laughing.

“It’s a _huge_ deal!It’s your first performance together!”

Pointing out the obvious worked, and Blake finally blushed while Yang beamed at her.

“ _I’m_ excited,” Yang agreed before squeezing Blake’s hand.“Aren’t you?”

If Blake was ever going to deny something, it wouldn’t be when Yang asked, and it wouldn’t be when Yang smiled at her in that way.

“Yes,” she admitted instead.“I’m really excited.”

That’s exactly what Ruby wanted to hear, and she grinned while Yang leaned into Blake’s side and kissed her cheek. 

After practicing nonstop for months, their moment had finally arrived.Tonight, the world would see what their varying gifts created when combined - a spectacle unlike anything Ruby had ever seen before.

The only reason Ruby even knew about it was because she accidentally barged in on the two of them in the midst of a practice.The other performers had known nothing about the new act until Blake and Yang’s names appeared on the same slot together, and that’s when the excitement began.

Several combined acts could be found in The Illusion’s history, but they were uncommon enough to be a novelty.Ruby and Yang’s parents were actually the last to perform together, which made it even more apropos that Yang continued the tradition.

“You guys are gonna do great,” Ruby added.“I’m sure of it.” 

“Ruby’s right.”With another big smile reserved just for Blake, Yang held up on hand with a small ball of flame flickering in her palm.“We’ve practiced a ton.We haven’t messed up a single thing in weeks.Now, we get to show the world what we can do.”

“You mean _you_ get to show the world what you can do,” Blake teased while calmly setting her hand on top of the ball of flame. 

“Please.Your part’s way cooler than mine.”

“Agree to disagree?”When Yang made a show about considering the offer, Blake laughed and Ruby smiled.

At first glance, Blake and Yang might seem like a terrible fit for a cooperative act.Yang was bright, fiery showmanship...Blake was elusive, shadowy deception.Yet the two of them possessed a connection unlike anyone else in the show.They were on the same page without speaking.They knew where each other were without looking.Plus, they fed off of each other’s energy in amazing ways.Combined with their propensity to flirt at every possible occasion, and The Illusion’s stage was about to be blessed with one of the most entertaining acts Ruby had ever seen.

But Blake and Yang’s act wasn’t the only exciting thing about tonight’s performance...

“Shouldn’t you be with Weiss?” Blake asked then, as if she just read Ruby’s mind.

“I should be.”When Blake raised her brow, Ruby hopped off of her temporary seat and smiled.“She made me promise to help everyone else ‘like normal,’ but I’ll find her right now.” 

“That sounds like her…” 

“Let Ruby take care of her business,” Yang teased, throwing a wink Ruby’s way before tugging Blake towards the stage.“Let’s watch until it’s our turn.”

“Sure you don’t want to practice one more time?” 

“Please.I have it memorized backwards and forwards by now.” 

After a playful eye roll, Blake nodded to Ruby before turning to head away.

“Good luck!” Ruby added before they left, earning a giant grin and thumbs up from her sister before they disappeared from view.

Now that the show was well underway, Ruby could _finally_ take a break and see the person she’d wanted to spend the entire night with.But Weiss wanted to act like everything was normal, and who was Ruby to argue?

With her work ‘done’ for now, however, she flew to the changing rooms and found only one with its door still closed.That was her destination, which she skidded to a stop in front of before leaning close and knocking gently.

“Weiss?” 

As soon as the soft “Come in” reached her ears, she opened the door and found Weiss sitting in front of a glass mirror.Just _seeing_ Weiss was enough to make Ruby’s heart grow twice as big and beat twice as fast, especially when she finally saw Weiss’ outfit for tonight.

“Wow…” she breathed out, suddenly speechless as she closed the door and walked further into the room.“You look...wow.”

Weiss looked _incredible_.Her silver dress fit her like a glove, accentuating her petite frame while complementing her long, white hair and blue eyes.The matching silver heels looked straight out of a fairytale, and the dangling, silver earrings with their matching necklace added a level of elegance that belonged in a palace.

Quite simply, she looked stunning.

“You don’t think it’s too much?”When Weiss’ gaze returned to the mirror, Ruby emphatically shook her head.

“You look _gorgeous_.Like really...wow.” 

If Ruby were capable of speaking, she’d have far more compliments to give.Instead, she stared at the young woman sitting in front of her and wondered how such beauty could even exist.How could someone so beautiful exist, but also...how was Ruby so lucky to have that beautiful person in her life? 

The moment Weiss bit her lip, however, Ruby shoved those thoughts aside and pulled over a chair.

“How’re you doing?” she asked in a softer tone, knowing that tonight was a much bigger deal for Weiss than it was for her.

“I think I’m alright…”Though the response sounded calm and measured, Weiss’ eyes and fleeting smile gave away her uncertainty. 

“You sure?” Ruby lightly prodded, knowing another answer lurked in there somewhere.

“Yes, mostly,” Weiss answered with a little more certainty.“But is it normal to feel like you’re going to throw up?” 

Faced with that honest admission, Ruby smiled and reached over to hold Weiss’ hand.“I wouldn’t know,” she admitted.“But I _do_ know that you’re going to do amazing.You’ve practiced so much, not that you even needed to, and you sing like an angel.Now’s your chance to share your voice with the rest of the world.”

Ruby knew that was what Weiss wanted - to share her gift with anyone and everyone who wanted to _feel_ something.But wanting and doing were two separate things, which was why she took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh.

“Remember when things were easy?” she asked while Ruby brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You mean back when you couldn’t talk because Cinder stole your voice?”

“That was easier, wasn’t it?” 

A flicker of a smile crossed Weiss’ lips with the comment, which Ruby returned with a reassuring smile of her own. 

To the outside world, Weiss projected steady confidence and certainty in her actions.Having been raised in a wealthy family and extremely well-educated, she had all of the tools to become whatever socialite she wanted.

Ruby was the only one who saw this side of her - the uncertain, slightly insecure side lingering underneath a polished exterior.While it would likely fade as she grew accustomed to life outside of Atlas, Ruby was content to offer her full support in the process.She considered it a privilege, in a sense.A privilege granted to her through the foundation they built with each letter they shared.

“You want to go back to that?” she asked, but Weiss sighed and leaned into her hand.

“I don’t...but I wouldn’t change anything.”

“Really?Nothing?”

“Nothing.”With a shake of her head, Weiss reached up and wrapped her hand around Ruby’s.“Sure, sometimes it was awful, but I learned how to sign.I learned how to listen.And I learned that...sometimes, you need to trust people so that they can help you.”

That was a lesson everyone would be better off learning, but Ruby didn’t say as much.Instead, she leaned forward and kissed Weiss’ forehead before pulling away with a smile.

“And look at you now,” she added with a grin.“About to perform your very own act for everyone here tonight.”

“It is pretty unbelievable.”After thinking about her new reality for several seconds, Weiss gave Ruby a searching look.“Do you think you’ll have an act soon too?”

“Nope.”When Weiss’ brow rose at the quick response, Ruby shook her head.“My gift isn’t great for that type of thing.No one can see it.”

“But you’ve always wanted to perform like your parents…”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I want anymore.”Meeting Weiss’ gaze, Ruby smiled and squeezed her hand.“I like helping everyone get ready, making sure we’re up and running come showtime.That’s more than enough for me.”

Somehow, it felt like The Illusion knew that, even though she’d discovered her gift, she had no desire to be on stage anymore.That’s what she _thought_ she wanted for the longest time, but now...her place was back here, keeping everything running in the background.

“But you have something wonderful to share,” she added with a squeeze of Weiss’ hand.“So let’s get you out there.Don’t want to be late for your very first show!”

Trying to get Weiss excited, or at least not as nervous, Ruby popped to her feet and grinned.Weiss, however, took another look in the mirror, nodded, and stood up. 

“I bet you’ll even have fun,” Ruby said as they left the changing room hand-in-hand.“I know how much you love singing.”

“I don’t usually have an audience though…”

“What’re you talking about?I listen _all_ the time.”

“But I’m not nervous around you.”

“Then why don’t you pretend you’re only singing to me?”

Weiss’ brow furrowed at the suggestion, but that expression lasted only a few moments before she smiled.

“I love singing to you.”

“And I love hearing you sing,” Ruby replied while her heart swooned.With that tentative plan agreed upon, Weiss hummed in content as they neared performers’ entrance to the stage.They could hear the crowd now, a collective murmur as so many people spoke at once, along with Nora’s excited chatter keeping the entertainment running.

“You’re amazing,” Ruby repeated as soon as Weiss’ nerves returned.“And if you ever forget it, I’ll remind you.”

The response worked, as another smile slipped onto Weiss’ lips.

“I’ll try to remember,” she teased in return before staring down the tunnel and taking a deep breath.“Ok, then...I’ll see you in there?”

“Of course.”This time, she gave Weiss a real kiss, savoring the feeling of Weiss’ lips on hers and the closeness they shared before pulling away with a smile.“Now go knock ‘em dead.” 

Ruby gave Weiss a gentle nudge forward, but Weiss smiled and rolled her eyes before walking forward.She looked nervous but certain now, and she didn’t pause or falter as Ruby stood there and watched.

Only when Weiss passed the halfway point did Ruby race to one of the entrances used by the audience.Rather than stand at the end of the tunnel like she usually did, however, she searched for a seat - but not before noting that The Illusion was _packed_ tonight. 

“Ruby!” 

Turning towards her name and spotting just the people she was looking for, she smiled and hurried into the stands to join them.

“Oscar just taught me a new trick!” Whitley said as soon as she sat beside him.“Want to see?”

When he held up a stack of playing cards and Oscar nodded excitedly from beside him, Ruby smiled and lightly rustled his hair.

“How about after?Your sister’s about to sing.”

“But I’ve heard her sing hundreds of times...” he sighed while dropping his hands in his lap, but his mom gently shushed him. 

“Never like this,” she said while looking around the tent, which was as busy as it had ever been.After her gaze swept the crowd, she caught Ruby’s eyes and they shared a quick smile before the lights lowered, marking the beginning of the show.

A hush fell over the crowd as they looked forward to The Illusion’s last act, but murmurs of surprise and excitement were heard as soon as Weiss stepped onto the stage.

“And boy do we have a treat for you!” Nora was saying as Weiss walked to the center of the stage, but Ruby tuned out Nora’s voice in favor of focusing solely on Weiss. 

Under the bright stage lights, she looked even more incredible.She looked...like an actual angel who’d decided to grace them all with her presence.Her hands were clasped together - she was nervous - but her posture was straight and tall as she stopped in front of the microphone.

“- and this time, it’s what you _hear_ that you won’t believe.”

With the introduction finished, Nora hurried off the stage while Weiss unclasped her hands and stepped closer to the microphone.Her clear blue eyes scanned the crowd before landing upon Ruby and her family.While Ruby gave a thumbs up as encouragement, Whitley raised his hands and signed something to his sister.Weiss had to squint to make it out under the stage lighting, but whatever he said made her smile as she sighed a response back to him and picked up the microphone.

When the music didn’t start as soon as Weiss had the microphone in her hand, worry replaced Ruby’s excitement.In every run-through they did, the music started immediately.Was something wrong?Were the speakers broken?Or the track wouldn’t play?

“Before we begin,” Weiss said when Ruby was already half-out of her seat.“We’d like to take a moment to extend a big ‘thank you’ to someone near and dear to our hearts.”

More than a little confused, Ruby stared at Weiss and sat down when Whitley tugged at her arm.

“She works tirelessly behind the scenes,” Weiss continued, her gaze never leaving Ruby’s.“She helps anyone who needs a hand and, most importantly, she’s the heart and soul of The Illusion.Without her we wouldn’t be where we are today, so please - Ruby -”

When Weiss motioned into the stands, a spotlight lit upon Ruby as she looked around in surprise.The audience was clapping now.Weiss was gesturing for her to stand.Whitley and Oscar said “Get up!Get up!” until she finally found the ability to stand.As she awkwardly waved her hand, she noticed that the other performers were standing at the end of the tunnels whistling and clapping for her too.Yang sent several large plumes of fire into the air, scaring everyone around her, while Mr. Qrow and Miss Raven flew around the stage before returning to Nora’s hands.

“So thank you, Ruby,” Weiss spoke into the microphone amongst the cheers.“For everything you do.”

Unsure what to do with the unexpected recognition, Ruby nodded to Weiss and to her fellow Illusionists before sitting down as soon as the applause began to fade.Her cheeks were blazing red night now, but her heart felt like it might burst with happiness and gratitude.

That feeling only grew when the music finally started - a light, happy tune - and Weiss held Ruby’s gaze as her mouth opened and the first note slipped through.Her voice carried across the tent with clarity, joy, and emotion more palpable than the seats beneath them, and a collective gasp issued from the audience while Ruby’s heart beat with love.

She always thought that she had to be a performer to belong here, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.She didn’t need a gift, she didn’t need an act, and she didn’t need to be on stage accepting applause.All she needed was to _want_ to be here, because this was her family and her home.

A sanctuary?An adventure?A purpose?A family?The giant red tent offered all of that and more, but only to those willing to open their hearts, believe in the unbelievable, and share what skills they had with anyone who needed them. 

Nothing proved that more true than Weiss and her family, who were welcomed with open arms despite their initial hesitance.Now they were as much a part of the family as everyone else, which meant they were looked after, cared for, and loved just like everyone else.

And that was the real magic behind The Illusion.


End file.
